Ho Ho Ho! It's the last day of our Festive Advent Calendar and we've left the best for last: a winter update for The Garden Path [previewyoutube=cwT_RB9Qjfk;full][/previewyoutube] New cozy jumpers for the cold season, two brand new blueprints, and even some new friends to meet - we hope this will help you ring in the new year with style
New Outfits Sweaters! Sweaters for everyone! New cozy knit jumpers to plush hiking vests to patchwork quarter zips - we've got a cute fit for everyone.
New Friends Three new residents are ready to join the Garden! Meet Irma, Marlene, and Harriet who will wander into the Garden seeking new tidings for the new year. You'll also notice that the winter season looks a bit different this year... Maybe your residents might even look a bit cozier than usual
New Blueprints Ready for more ambitious projects? For those who've unlocked blueprints, we've got two new ones for you to get started on: the decrepit shed and the folly. Patch Notes and Features Here are the full list of features, bug fixes, and patches also coming to the game: Features + New 'Folly' and 'Decrepit Shed' blueprints to unlock. + New range of winter-themed items available to purchase or unlock. + New ambient audio added. + New snow visual available on trees in winter. + New winter outfits for most residents. + Three new residents will visit the Garden: Harriet, Irma and Marlene. Fixes + Fixed a crash when picking flowers on slower systems. + Fixed cuttings not displaying their flowers in planters. + Fixed bug causing plants to report they would prefer more rich soil when they would prefer aromatic. + Fixed error causing Oregano not to grow if planted from an unidentified seed. + Fixed plants unable to grow accruing health over time. + Addressed some typos. + Restored displaying soil type if expanding info on an empty area. + Transplanted plants now properly their flower state more accurately. + Clothing and tool info highlighted in shops now correctly compare to the same type of item equipped. + Fixed missing project artwork for Carrot, Winter Jasmine and Sunflower families. Curl up with the Garden Path this winter season with a brand new update The Garden Path is also 30% until January 2nd on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Happy Holidays, carrotcake - Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Bluesky Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-12-20 17:00:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.3.0 is now live. See changes below. Features + New 'Folly' and 'Decrepit Shed' blueprints to unlock. + New range of winter-themed items available to purchase or unlock. + New ambient audio added. + New snow visual available on trees in winter. + New winter outfits for most residents. + Three new residents will visit the Garden: Harriet, Irma and Marlene. Fixes + Fixed a crash when picking flowers on slower systems. + Fixed cuttings not displaying their flowers in planters. + Fixed bug causing plants to report they would prefer more rich soil when they would prefer aromatic. + Fixed error causing Oregano not to grow if planted from an unidentified seed. + Fixed plants unable to grow accruing health over time. + Addressed some typos. + Restored displaying soil type if expanding info on an empty area. + Transplanted plants now properly their flower state more accurately. + Clothing and tool info highlighted in shops now correctly compare to the same type of item equipped. + Fixed missing project artwork for Carrot, Winter Jasmine and Sunflower families. ~Louis

[ 2024-12-20 16:06:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.2.5 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed dirt patches blocking plants and furnishings. + Fixed child furnishing's losing their inheritance if placement is cancelled. + Fixed some errors and crashes caused by rare or quick interactions with the Designer. Tweaks + Adjusted birch foliage tone for better contrast. ~Louis

[ 2024-12-12 10:42:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Its day two of The Garden Paths holiday advent calendar, and were excited to announce an art commission giveaway of one lucky players gardener avatar. It will be drawn by Louis, the solo dev behind the game who created everything, including all the art, for The Garden Path.

Heres how to enter the art commission giveaway:

• Please post screenshots of your in-game garden and tag The Garden Paths social accounts! You can find all of our accounts in this post's footer. Each person is limited to one entry only.
• You must also be following The Garden Paths social accounts on whichever platform you enter on.

The giveaway will run for one week and ends on next Tuesday, December 17!
Forever yours, carrotcake - Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Follow us on Blue Sky

[ 2024-12-10 15:39:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.2.3 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed some furnishings not appearing if the same furnishing is placed in a tent. + Fixed Holly and Sumac popsticks not fulfillable by player. + Fixed lingering control prompt when recording a plant from the focus aimer. + Fixed task hand-in options not appearing if certain introductory dialogues are used. + Fixed entries from other UI sometimes appearing when selecting from a list. Tweaks + Conkers will now stack if they share the same ID and wins. Wins are now displayed on the item card. + Increased size of residents in social menu. ~Louis

[ 2024-12-03 10:32:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners! 2024 is coming to an end and we're taking some time to look back on all that's happened this year! We're excited to share that Steam is hosting the annual Steam Awards, and we would love your help in celebrating our launch this year! If you've enjoyed the beauty and fun of the garden, please consider nominating The Garden Path for the awards in these categories: Outstanding Visual Art, if you have appreciated the picture book-like art. Sit Back and Relax, if you've enjoyed your laid-back strolls in the garden. Your support warms our hearts, and your nomination would help the garden to bloom and prosper Best, carrotcake Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter:@fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok:@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram:@fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon:@ldurrant

[ 2024-11-28 18:22:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.2.2 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed non stackable items being lost if collection is full. + Fixed exploit enabling larger-than-intended inventory size. + Fixed a number of non-triggering stars. + Fixed mulch visual effects not always updating correctly. + Fixed some planted cuttings disappearing next day. + Fixed Thom's initial popstick bundles not yielding any popsticks. + Fixed lingering control prompts after cancelling out from focus. ~Louis

[ 2024-11-20 10:53:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Come hang out with Louis and Kat as they chat and draw, today at 7AM PST and as always, it will be a low-key, cozy art stream. Please come hang out with us here, on Steam, or on Twitch!
Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-11-19 14:58:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.2.1 is now live. See changes below. Features + Added dead flower visual to plants. Tweaks + Some item tags tweaked. + Dead flowers now compostable. Fixes + Flowering plants should now do a better job at clearing their dead flowers. ~Louis

[ 2024-11-15 11:17:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.1.3 is now live. See changes below. Fixed + Fixed a number of invisible walls and unintended rocks spawning. + Fixed a bug causing the overflow to revert to a previous state on load. + Fixed conker wins not tallying up properly. ~Louis

[ 2024-11-14 10:12:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.1.2 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed issue where subsequent assets were not loading if a Dining Table was loaded. Tweaks + New calculation for deciding which popsticks are awarded when unpacking a bundle (previously obtained bundles should also be improved, but will not behave the same as bundles obtained going forward). + Worm now awards one bundle of popsticks, down from three (however, more popsticks are typically awarded per bundle). ~Louis

[ 2024-11-12 11:09:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.1.0 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Unidentified seedlings now correctly match soil on soil change when determining what to grow into. + Fixed some request slots not fulfilling properly if backing out from a trade. + Fixed request slots not fulfilling if item has tag from its prefix. + Fixed a number of visual oddities in the designer. + Added colliders to Trunk and Dining Table Tweaks + Intention pointer no longer appears while in the designer view. + Added additional slots to larger furnishings to stack smaller furnishings. + Buttercup shop costs rebalanced. + Mulch no longer removed on grow. + Softened requirements for 'Dress the Weather' star. Features + Added additional visuals and audio to the designer view. + Temperature potency now colour for intensity on the item ID card.

[ 2024-11-11 10:02:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.0.5 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed over-qualified requirements for residents contributing to total score when drawing the progress circle around wandering residents in the Overview menu. + Restored Nightlight mushroom light. + Fixed not being able to move item into empty slot. + Fixed crash moving soil into some planters. Tweaks + Harvestables box no longer shows if recorded plant has no harvestables. + Star details now maintain scale when zooming in and out for better readability (also increased size generally). ~Louis

[ 2024-11-05 10:38:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Patch 1.1.0.4 is now live. See changes below. Features + Added indicator to Stars to show if a constellation activation is available. Tweaks + Adjusted guide stone spawn behaviour. Fixes + Fixed regression preventing holes from being dug from gather focus. + Fixed unlocked constellations not showing their names. + Fixed 'The New Gardener' star appearing as Null if selected with the mouse. + Fixed section icons not correctly displaying unseen badges. + Fixed unseen badge on items sometimes reapplying. ~Louis

[ 2024-11-01 10:28:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.0.3 is now live. See changes below. Features + Added option + support for QWERTZ keyboards. Tweaks + Dropdown will now appear against tasks in the Overview with both action inputs. Fixed + Fixed front hair not loading for shortest haircut. + Fixed Windmill Blueprint not being placeable. + Restored plant count figure on gather. + Single-press focus on ground marker shows clearer controls. + Dropdown option for tasks will read 'Untrack' if task is already tracked. + Fixed forgetting/untracking tasks in the Overview not updating immediately. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-29 14:18:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.0.2 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Hotfix for crash when closing the designer. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-25 07:41:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Autumn update is live! Check out all the new items and the brand new hair dyeing mechanic in our replayed Steam Broadcast. Leap into autumn with us and curl up with The Garden Path today https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-10-24 16:51:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Were celebrating the autumn season with a brand new update! With new autumn-themed outfits, Halloween costumes, and even a brand new hair dye mechanic - youll be ready to jump into fall with your coziest look
New Outfits Were adding tons of new fits for your Gardener, including a skeleton onesie for a cozy Halloween, new dungarees and fall themed sweaters, and even a brand new froggie pinafore. The update also comes with new hats and masks including the Pumpkin Head, Witchs Hat, and Cat Mask.
New Decorative Items Looking to decorate your Garden for Autumn? Weve also got brand new furniture items for you! Including decorative gourds, new jack-o-lanterns, and even creepy toy spiders that will even scare Malakai.
Hair Dye Mechanic Want a fresh look for the new season? Chat to Caoimhe next time theyre in town to create hair dye! Hair dyes are created with botanicals harvested from your Garden, so you can make unique colours to match whatever style youre going for. Patch Notes and Features Weve also been working hard on bug fixes and patches, and this update will also address the following: Features + New sequence with Larto, introducing the player to tones. + Conkers with three or more wins can now be given a name. + Residents will now sometimes refer to the player by their name if they have been given one. Tweaks + Control prompt when viewing stars will read 'Untrack' if the star is tracked. + Conkers no longer stack. Under the hood + Inventory data now cached, significantly improving saving times for saves with many inventories. Fixes + Added socks to 'Ankle Swingers'. + Corrected Hay-scented fern and Scots Pine family names. + Fixed holly berries not planting seedlings. + Fixed a bug allowing popstick plants to grow without being fulfilled, leading to some project progress issues. + Fixed some plants being shown as popsticks on focus. + Fixed bug causing conker games to win more often than intended. + Fixed bug allowing non-harvestables to be swapped into the collection. + Fixed safe boxes sometimes returning nothing if all journal pages are found. + Fixed glitch where water would appear over some objects. + Fixed plants sharing the same flip value on first session. Get cozy with us this Autumn and curl up with the brand new update of The Garden Path today The Garden Path is also 20% until October 31st on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Happy Autumn, carrotcake - Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-10-24 16:39:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.1.0.1 is now live. See changes below. Features + Caoimhe can now help concoct dyes from different harvestables. + Player can now dye their hair with two dye slots for base colour and highlights. + New autumnal themed items available from trade and rewards. + New sequence with Larto, introducing the player to tones. + Conkers with three or more wins can now be given a name. + Residents will now sometimes refer to the player by their name if they have been given one. Tweaks + Control prompt when viewing stars will read 'Untrack' if the star is tracked. + Conkers no longer stack. Under the hood + Inventory data now cached, significantly improving saving times for saves with many inventories. Fixes + Added socks to 'Ankle Swingers'. + Corrected Hay-scented fern and Scots Pine family names. + Fixed holly berries not planting seedlings. + Fixed a bug allowing popstick plants to grow without being fulfilled, leading to some project progress issues. + Fixed some plants being shown as popsticks on focus. + Fixed bug causing conker games to win more often than intended. + Fixed bug allowing non-harvestables to be swapped into the collection. + Fixed safe boxes sometimes returning nothing if all journal pages are found. + Fixed glitch where water would appear over some objects. + Fixed plants sharing the same flip value on first session. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-24 16:01:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Gardeners, The air is starting to get crisp, the pumpkins pleasingly orange, and blankets cozier than ever. It's the perfect time to curl up with The Garden Path's free Autumn update, falling into the game on October 24! Leap into a leaf-y pile of new outfits, new seasonal furnishings, and even a new hair dye mechanic! We can't wait to see everyone's autumnal makeovers and new cozy nook designs.
Colorfully yours, carrotcake - Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-10-18 15:12:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.45 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed plants growing at a slower rate than intended in tolerated soil. + Fixed some popsticks immediately fulfilling, and not progressing projects (projects may need to be removed and re-applied). + Fixed a number of designer glitches when plotting a project. + Fixed draft plants going translucent when plotting a project. + Fixed grow stars not triggering. Tweaks + Popsticks now appear and group as popsticks on focus, and won't display the Harvest or Record prompts. + Pigment values updated and added to a number of items. Features + Icons now appear next to common dialogue responses. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-16 09:40:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.43 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed some hand-ins not counting items properly. + Fixed tone generation returning the wrong tone in some cases ~Louis

[ 2024-10-12 09:34:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.42 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed a number of flower glitches. + Fixed honeysuckle not blooming. + Fixed flower visual on small Windflowers + Fixed bug allowing for gift stones to be over-fulfilled, blocking progress. + Fixed some props flipping on load. Tweaks + Mature Roses now bloom 5 flowers. + No longer possible to discard key items from inventory. + More than 5 of a type of ingredient can be added when brewing tea. Features + Items that can stack will now stack when moved between two inventory sections. + Visual indicator added to show if a project is completed. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-10 09:22:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.40 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed looping dialogue from residents if the player has received a name. + Fixed fish caught tone generation icon showing wrong animation frame. + Fixed some trades allowing more items given than intended. + Fixed losing selected visual on inventory slots when moving between inventory sections during trade. Tweaks + Mandrakes turned away from the Garden now have a set cooldown before returning. + New plants no longer request bulbs as fertilizer. + Blossom has pretty and rare tags. + Some item prefix's now generate a specific season. Under the hood + Optimized ground visual generation for improved performance on lower end devices. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-05 18:24:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.37 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed rare double loading bug when exiting to main menu that could lead to save instability. + Fixed double counting play time if resuming play after returning to main menu. ~Louis

[ 2024-10-02 10:37:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.34 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Hotfix for all plants in unmodified soil showing the same soil reading. + Fixed a number of plants prevented from yielding their cutting. + Fixed Hibiscus not being targetable when aiming focus. ~Louis

[ 2024-09-28 15:15:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.33 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed guiding flies appearing in the top left corner of the Garden. Tweaks + Adjusted soil calculation when adding soil to holes: Adding one soil will now return a blended value of the added soil and the natural soil value. Adding a second soil will return a blended value of the two added soils (natural soil value not factored). + Poplar trees now yield seeds. + Adjusted Jahi's star map requirement. ~Louis

[ 2024-09-27 15:20:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy fall, gardeners! We're welcoming the cozy season with an autumn sale and Steam broadcast! Sale info: Start your journey in the Garden for 20% off on PC and Nintendo Switch. The Garden Path is the perfect companion to a warm blanket and a freshly-brewed cup of tea. Did you know you can also brew tea in-game and peruse the Garden's resident tea enthusiast's recipes? A reminder that we've also added mouse support for our keyboard players! We've listened to player feedback and hopefully it's easier for gardeners to navigate the Garden now. For more info, check out our patch notes on mouse support details. Leap into autumn with us and curl up with The Garden Path today https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-09-19 18:32:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy fall, gardeners! We're welcoming the cozy season with an autumn sale! Start your journey in the Garden for 20% off on PC and Nintendo Switch. The Garden Path is the perfect companion to a warm blanket and a freshly-brewed cup of tea. Did you know you can also brew tea in-game and peruse the Garden's resident tea enthusiast's recipes? A reminder that we've also added mouse support for our keyboard players! We've listened to player feedback and hopefully it's easier for gardeners to navigate the Garden now. For more info, check out our patch notes on mouse support details. Leap into autumn with us and curl up with The Garden Path today https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-09-19 17:48:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.32 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed a crash when picking flowers. + Fixed flora that could be recorded but not harvested. + Fixed darned trousers. + Fixed missing designer outline for dandelions. + Fixed jar items not unlocked in encyclopedia. Tweaks + Added additional wild flora entries to the encyclopaedia: bramble, docks, fog grass, foxtails, nightlights and twayblade. Features + Map reticle now maps to mouse cursor. ~Louis

[ 2024-09-19 11:02:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.31 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed a crash if removing two map pins quickly in succession. + Fixed blueprint projects resetting after completion. + Fixed incorrect readings for soil. + Fixed an issue causing false negatives for fish targeting certain props. + Fixed a number of visual flower glitches. + Fixed marigolds not blooming. Tweaks + Esc now exits the in-game option menu. + System card options are now clickable. + List selection UI now uses a dark theme. + Inventory arrows now clickable. Features + Added 'dot' icon for map pin icons. + Added mouse controls to list selections (map pins, board projects). + Added mouse controls for the community board. + Added mouse controls for focus bubbles

[ 2024-09-18 10:17:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi gardeners, The Garden Path is developed by one person - Louis Durrant! From creating art to composing the soundtrack, he's spent many years crafting the mysterious, beautiful Garden. It's an incredible labor of love, and the community team sat down with him for a chat to learn more about his inspirations and thoughts in bringing The Garden Path to life.

Who are you?

I'm Louis Durrant, I'm an illustrator based in the UK. I've had an interest in making games since I can remember, and started releasing my own in 2017, beginning with 'Crossing the Cold Valley', and then 'Kingdom Ka' in 2018, both short, linear adventure games. I've been working on The Garden Path since.

What is The Garden Path?

It's a game about gardening! Really I think of The Garden Path is a game you come back to, that you check in with from time to time. It's about the Garden at heart, and being in that space, and shaping the space in your own small way.

What were your inspirations?

I've always loved the sense of being lost in those early MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI, and I wondered if I could capture a little bit of that, but without the pressure of combat or levelling up. But the game is also inspired partly by my time as a boyscout. As I developed the game I realized there was so much inspiration that could be taken directly from the natural world. I really wanted to make a game where the flora and foliage isn't just there to fill the space, but where each plant is its own entity that you can harvest and analyze - from large maturing oaks down to the smallest clover you might not even notice.

What tree or plant is your favorite in The Garden Path?

I think I'd have to go for the Scots Pine. They really help define the area they're in because of their size, and I love their warm bark and the deep bluey-greens in their foliage. They also offer some interesting things to harvest, if you have your wits about you.

Who's your favourite character?

If I can pick a duo, I'd have to pick Weyley & Terracotta! They were a later addition to the game, but they arrived as I'd spent more time thinking about the history and story of the Garden, and so they really had that at the core of their design. I have the most fun writing the interactions between them, as it was a new challenge writing a duo that interacted amongst themselves as well as the player. The caravan itself has a real visual presence in the game too, and makes me smile whenever I stumble upon it in testing.

What's been the most challenging/rewarding part of developing a game solo?

I've always enjoyed figuring things out, and there's nothing quite as satisfying as every piece of the puzzle coming together and seeing it come alive. It can be isolating at times, though. There's a great deal of pressure when you're the only person who knows the answer to something, or the only person who can fix something. Fixing bugs is fun (usually), but there's also the weight of knowing that a bug might have ruined someone else's fun, and you're the only one responsible. Thats something Im constantly working through. The Garden Path was surely no solo effort, and wouldn't be where it is today without so much hard work from the people who have come and gone, and helped along the way.

Any dreams for the future of carrotcake?

If the money and the interest is there, I'd love to bring some people on-board! carrotcake was never intended to be some solo crusade, and if I can find some like-minded people then Id love to pick their brains. We've all got ideas of video games we'd like to see be made, and I'm still no exception. But The Garden Path remains my priority so long as people enjoy playing it and I enjoy working on it.
If you'd like to meet travellers like Weyley and Terracotta or admire the in-game Scots Pines, come wander in The Garden Path! And if you already have the game, we would appreciate a review. It's one of the best ways to help a small indie dev, as Steam reviews help boost The Garden Path's discoverability https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-09-12 15:55:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.30 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed a bug allowing more residents than intended. + Fixed community board projects sometimes not showing the correct assignees. + Fixed blueprint projects not clearing themselves when finished. + Fixed missing regions being selected for errands. + Fixed crash if unpacking popsticks too quickly for the first time. + Fixed rabbit constellation not showing artwork on unlock. + Game ticks are now used to calculate hours spent in Garden, rather than the Garden time, for a more accurate measurement.

[ 2024-09-11 10:04:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Come hang out with Louis and Kaalin as they chat and draw, tomorrow - Tuesday, September 10 at 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Louis will be working on autumnal items and as always, it will be a low-key, cozy art stream. Please come hang out with us here, on Steam, or on Twitch!
Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-09-09 15:35:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.29 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed some plants growing beyond their maximum size. + Fixed backpack stacks not appearing on continue. + Fixed a bug causing date to extend beyond 28 in some cases. + Fixed some pickables appearing above the plant. + Fixed Unidentified seeds stock rate being lower than intended. + Fixed Unidentified seeds not always returning correct plant based on soil type + Fixed a bug that allowed multiple constellations to be activated. Tweaks + Restored footprints and sprint dust. + Enter can now be used as E by default. ~Louis

[ 2024-09-07 09:36:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.28 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed crash related to parented props + Fixed Jahi not accepting vouchers + Fixed Nightlights not being harvestable. + Adjusted Japanese Hatchet position on player. + Adjusted Light Wash Jeans visual. + Fixed some invalid text showing when played with non latin characters. + Fixed some props loading in with child props of another prop. Tweaks + Adjust shop prices for Weyley & Terracotta, and Jahi. + Reduced value of path furnishings.

[ 2024-09-04 09:30:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.27 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed finding empty pages after journal is completed. + Adjust land load checks to prevent invisible assets. + Restored run_debug.bat file Tweaks + Increased spawn for ground markers and guide stones. + Improved visibility of Dustflies. + Updated harvest result calculations. ~Louis

[ 2024-09-03 09:28:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.26 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed recently placed items appearing transparent. + Fixed soft lock when proposing to trade dustflies with Malakai. + Fixed a number of non-triggering stars. + Fixed missing images for Yellow Road Bike and Fireplace Bellows. + Fixed bug preventing player hair growth. + Fixed Tracker's, Cartographer's, Hunter's and Splintery equipment not generating tones. + Fixed second player's fishing float not disappearing after fishing. + Fixed crash on previewing Chaga. + Fixed fading text behaviour. Features + Added alternative method to change language in options menu. + Added resident location and friendship score to social card. Tweaks + Store cost rebalance. + Adjusted world streaming. + Adjusted star map.

[ 2024-08-29 09:52:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.25 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Reinstated Steam achievements. Thank you for your patience on this issue. + Fixed some inventory slots not matching whitelist of a certain give request. + Fixed tool casts ignoring last queued action (ie. queuing a tool twice will now harvest twice). + Fixed Jahi's beak not moving during speech. + Fixed jar duplicating without contents when moving between inventory and storage. + Fixed dead flowers and flower buds adopting the colour data from the plant's flower. + Fixed stacking logic causing items that should stack to split. + Fixed items with no associated tone having a perfect drop rate. Tweaks + Recorded plants now show available harvestables from that particular plant, rather than the whole family. Family harvestables can still be viewed in the Overview. Under the hood + Now using an updated engine build. This contributes to the larger patch size. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-19 19:00:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.23 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed being unable to harvest plants after aiming the focus out of range. + Fixed losing census data when loading into a Garden and no day has passed. + Fixed an acre with rocks overlapping a campfire. + Fixed a bug pausing the wrong player when recording a plant in multiplayer. + Fixed an error that caused all Dustflies to either be glow worms or not glow worms. + Smoothed out Bunk animation transitions. + Grass seeds now considered harvestables (can be made into fertilizer). + Fixed grass seeds not depleting on use. + Restored missing line from Thom in French. + Added missing Raw Denim Jeans asset. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-15 17:39:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path is taking part in the Wholesome Games Steam celebration! As part of the festivities, The Garden Paths demo will be live for the duration of the event, August 15 - 21. Explore the peaceful and rustling woods, light up stars in the night sky, obtain gardening shovels of all shapes and sizes (even tulip!), get to know new friends - and best of all, obtain an upside-down planter hat
Amble into the demo here ~ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

Listen to the OST on YouTube and Bandcamp

Perfect for an afternoon summer outside or relaxing music to accompany work or studies, The Garden Paths soundtrack is now available on YouTube and Bandcamp! [previewyoutube=UjIzabIiHc0;full][/previewyoutube] All 66 tracks are composed by Louis Durrant and the soundtrack is separated into Day and Night halves. If youd like to support the dev, please consider purchasing The Garden Paths OST on Bandcamp for 5 GBP. Until next time carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-08-15 17:02:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.22 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed calculation causing some rarer harvestables to be much rarer than intended. + Fixed some harvestables converting tones in wrong direction when brewed. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-15 12:53:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.21 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Numerous fixes regarding projects and popsticks. + Fixed storage whitelists being lost on load. Tweaks + Dustflies now easier to approach. + Adjusted spawn rates and spawn behaviour of Dustflies, Ground Markers and Guide Stones. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-15 10:30:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us for the pre-recorded stream of The Garden Path for the Wholesome Games Celebration! Playing through the beginning hour of the game, covering all the Day 1 fun. Starting August 15th, at 1PM ET on the Steam page. Best, carrotcake
[url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-08-14 16:01:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.20 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed stackable furnishings appearing blue when placed. + Fixed furnishing placement being blocked by their original placement area. + Fixed a glitch where newly grown plants would appear younger on first load. + Fixed a bug that caused Bunk's shop to be unavailable. Tweaks + Item grades rebalanced ~Louis

[ 2024-08-14 09:30:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.19 is now live. See changes below. Fixes + Fixed props spawning on bridges. + Fixed Buckle Bag appearing too large. + Fixed some tutorials appearing more than once in the overview. + Fixed positioning of large horns. + Fixed Enamel Kettle not being placeable. + Fixed bug where full collections would always send items to the overflow when a viable stack exists. + Fixed only one ingredient being removed when multiple of an ingredient are selected brewing tea. + Fixed buttercups not returning a valid flower. + Restored quantity selection indicator in inventory. + Sun fish and Moon fish effects now last to the end of the day. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-13 10:09:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.18 is now live. See changes below Fixes + Default player inventories repaired on start if issues are detected. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-08 15:45:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.17 is now live. See changes below Fixes + Added a number of checks and failsafes to help prevent item loss on save. If the autosave icon appears red, the previous safe save is maintained to prevent item loss. If your progress continues to not be saved, please follow the instructions over on the Discussions tab to send over your save for diagnostics. Many thanks, ~Louis

[ 2024-08-06 16:44:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path welcomed its first gardeners last week, and we can't thank you all enough for the kind words and support. As launch week is winding down, we want to remind friends that its the last day to save 15% on The Garden Path! Come wander and grow with us: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ If youve already spent time in the Garden, we would love and endlessly appreciate Steam reviews! It boosts the discoverability of The Garden Path on the Steam platform and is the best way to help indie devs.
We also dearly appreciate the thoughtful reviews from critics! Heres just a few of the wonderful impressions The Garden Path received. To help the experience, The Garden Path is absolutely stunning. The gardens are designed in a way that looks hand-crafted. Brush strokes can be seen in tree leaves, and characters look like watercolour craft paper. It has an impressive amount of details for a game with such a simple premise, but this detail makes it even easier to sink into. A lot of the time, The Garden Path gave me the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket on a rainy evening, which is exactly what I want when playing something so relaxing. - Kara Phillips, PC Gamer I do absolutely recommend this game if youre a fan of whimsy, gardening, and slower-paced adventures. Not everyone has the time to spend hours gaming at once, nor do they want to, so for those who want a quick little getaway to a lovely land, The Garden Path is right up your alley. - Holly Alice, Pocket Tactics
It's a time frame which also perfectly suits how developer carrotcake has purposefully designed The Garden Path to be played in short bursts instead of long play sessions. You're meant to run out of things to do. You're meant to return the next day like I did to see if there are new items for sale or the prices have changed. You're always meant to have another reason to walk down the garden path. - Lottie Lynn, Eurogamer This is not a game for the faint-hearted. If you like bright colours and clear guidance, look for a different game. But, just like in real life, the more time and effort you invest, the more reward you get, especially when it comes to gardening. - Lynne Newey, Ladies Gamer Until next time carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-08-05 22:28:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.15 is now live. See below the following changes Fixes + Fixed crash when digging quickly in the same area in succession. + Fixed visual glitch on transplanting plants. + Fixed some flowers not blooming correctly. + Fixed previous visitors visiting the Garden when continuing an existing day. + Disabled placing quest items in storage. + Fixed lonely spirit interact being disabled after speaking. + Added bridge to the four-way connecting river to prevent locked off regions. + Fixed some cuttings not properly spawning correct visual. + Fixed song fish errand not triggering properly. + Fixed day not correctly ticking over if playing before 5am. + Fixed campfires not relighting when NPC is occupying. + Fixed mole burrows only appearing on new day. + Added checks if player stuck on load. + Fixed bug causes player's position to zero-out on entering or exiting tent. + Fixed items not going to overflow if collection full. + Fixed furnishings not fading in when loading. + Fixed overflow not appearing on full inventory.

[ 2024-08-02 14:53:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.13 is now live. See below the following changes Fixes + Fixed multiple day passes triggering during sunrise. + Fixed resident errands regenerating too quickly. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-01 12:51:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.12 is now live. See below the following changes Fixes + Fixed errands showing with invalid strings (any errands previously generated may still show the invalid string, but will eventually be replaced). + Fixed packing away storage props and losing item contents. Storage props must now be empty before packing away. Features + Added tentative AZERTY support through Options menu. Restart may be required. ~Louis

[ 2024-08-01 10:11:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.11 is now live. See below the following changes Fixes + Fixed window defaulting to other screen on change to Window Mode for users with a multi-monitor setup. + Fullscreen Window Modes should now remember the screen they are set to from a previous session. + Fixed 'Apply' not applying in Options on left mouse click. + Fixed expanded dash elements not started the correct action on left mouse click. ~Louis

[ 2024-07-31 13:19:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.10 is now live. See below the following changes Fixes + Fixed the game not launching on some Linux systems ~L

[ 2024-07-31 07:53:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path has blossomed into the world on PC and Nintendo Switch - and were providing a handy manual on how to spend your first day in the garden! We encourage players to explore and follow their curiosity - but if you need a nudge in the right direction, this guide is for you! A written guide is included below, but if youd like a video guide check out our TikTok account!

1. Meet the residents

You might notice some unfamiliar faces in the Garden! Make sure to chat with the residents and travelling merchants, they might just have some tasks for you to help out with. Look out for ? on the map to see who you havent met yet.

2. Record new plants and trees

Youll notice that after you focus on an area, you get the option to record or harvest. You might not have the right tools yet to harvest some things in the garden, but the pen is mightier than the sword after all! Try recording information on plants to increase your knowledge, unlocking harvesting info that might be useful later.

3. Seek out tools and equip them

If you dont quite have everything you need, different traders offer different tools to help you with your foraging and harvesting! Make sure to come back tomorrow if you cant quite find what you need yet. A new merchant might come by with just what you need! Once youve found the right tool, youll need to equip it in your inventory by just selecting use. Those are our big three tips for Day 1 in the Garden Path! Remember that the game is meant to be enjoyed in short and sweet bites, so if youre not quite sure what to do next - log on tomorrow to see how the Garden has grown around you.

Want more help or to connect with other gardeners?

If youre looking for more tutorials and resources, we have three different places you can visit: 1. Discord: Stop by our Discord to directly ask any questions or to just chat with other gardeners. 2. Video tutorials: You can find tutorials on our TikTok and IG accounts! On TikTok, check out the Tutorials playlist. 3. Wiki: Our game has a collaborative wiki! Weve added the basics and look forward to working with players to fill it in together. The Garden Path has launched and waiting for gardeners to come visit A reminder that players can get a 15% launch discount on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-30 21:47:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

1.0.0.9 is now live. See below the following changes. Fixes + Fixed a bug where prop visuals wouldn't reload in recently edited chunks. + Fixed not being able to place some rallied props in succession. + Fixed the game exiting early on SteamDeck after launch. + Fixed game window duplicating on second monitor. Live achievements have been temporarily disabled while I investigate the early SteamDeck exit. Your progress will not be lost, and will sync in future updates. Many thanks ~L

[ 2024-07-30 20:18:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Keep cool as a cucumber this summer by taking a break from the heat and wandering into The Garden Path! This slice-of-life gardening sim is now out on PC (via Steam and itch.io) and Nintendo Switch. Plus, start gardening with a 15% launch discount on Steam! [previewyoutube=b_1IIWdvFzo;full][/previewyoutube] For more info on the Nintendo Switch launch, please check out this tweet for details.

Thank You

"The Garden Path has been a labour of love and an endless learning experience. It's some piece of me that I've been shaping almost every day for over seven years. All those years there's been countless times I've lost the wood for the trees, but advice and kind words have recentred me toward where the game is now. If you've been following me along the way, from the bottom of my heart: Thank you. If this is your first time playing, then I warmly welcome you to the Garden." - Louis Durrant
If youre still on the fence and wondering what to expect from the garden, weve put together a few resources to help you as you start your journey. Check out the below links for more information on what is in the furtive, tender world of pondering, gardening, and wandering:

• The Garden Path: A Place of Your Own
• Everything You Need to Know About Gardening
• Meet Vegetable Residents

Additionally, we have a wiki! Its meant to be a collaboration between the devs and players, and so while weve filled in the basics - we encourage players to contribute if they so wish! We cant wait to see what you all get up to and what curious things curious gardeners will uncover. Check out The Garden Path official wiki for more info! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-30 14:16:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path is now out on Steam! Check out this look at the full release of the game with our Marketing Manager at Mooncat Games, Kat! [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-07-30 14:00:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

After more than three years of development by a solo dev, The Garden Path is blossoming into the world on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 30. Thats right, its unbe-leaf-able, but were only one week away!
If youre excited and want to reserve a copy now, being an early bird comes with benefits! Nintendo Switch preorders are now available with a 15% discount. This offer applies to all regions, excluding Japan. Europe Americas Australia / New Zealand In the lead-up to launch, weve put together resources to help you decide if youd like to get your hands dirty in The Garden. Check out the below links for more information on what you can expect in the furtive, tender world of pondering, gardening, and wandering. The Garden Path: A Place of Your Own Everything You Need to Know About Gardening Meet Vegetable Residents
The Garden Path launches on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 30! Listen to plants with us by wishlisting: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-23 16:13:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Do you be-leaf in friendships between a gardener and vegetables? If so, youre in luck. Leafy and charming residents will occasionally stop by the Garden, and you can get to know them by striking up a conversation. They all have their own personalities, some upbeat and others gloomy. If certain requirements specific to each resident are fulfilled, they may even request to stay long-term in the Garden! Vegetable residents will also occasionally ask for items and if you fulfill their request, theyll likely give gifts back in return! Meet five of the many vegetable residents below.

1. Caroline

Has a cauliflower head, which is a nightmare to wash. Doesn't mind when conversation falls silent, but desperately avoids it. Tries to always be five minutes early, no matter the occasion.

2. Molly

Are a garlic, but come with none of the tang. Likes to catch dragonflies, but only for a moment. Has a real eye for color, but prefers to keep things pink.

3. Emerson

Have a broccoli head, and feel it's not easy being so green. Secretly enjoy the feeling of soggy boots. Prefer to worry about the things they have no control over, than the things they do.

4. Ida

Are sweeter than most other plums. Never tells the same joke twice (or, at least, tries not to) Like to hum songs they've never heard before.

5. Alex

Choose to keep their peach fuzz. Like to walk a little louder to let folk know they're coming. Sure know how to shine a pair of shoes. The Garden Path launches on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 30! Make new friends in the Garden: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-18 16:04:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Come hang out with Louis and Kat as they chat and draw! See you on Tuesday, July 16 at 10 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch!
Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-07-15 14:59:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

It would not be The Garden Path without, well, growing a garden! We find The Garden Path is best enjoyed when you embrace a wanderer's spirit: get lost, take detours, and get to know the locals. Gardening is not the main goal of your adventure in the Garden, but if it strikes your fancy, we have a few tips on cultivation.

Seedlings

You can grow plants anywhere in the Garden as long as its on land and unoccupied by existing vegetation. There are various ways of obtaining seeds. Harvest them from existing wild plants or barter for seeds from merchants. (A few plants present in the game, like the chamomile and bluebells, were featured on social media in the past!) Since its summer, weve included below a lovely garden full of plants that bloom during the summer in-game. Sunflowers, foxgloves, buttercups, and also a lovely little birdbath as garden decoration.

Planning

If youd prefer a more chaotic, unplanned garden, simply plop the seeds wherever youd like to plant them. But if you have grand ambitions and want to plan out the landscape before planting and acquiring seeds, you can use popsticks and project files! Both tools allow you to browse a library of possible plants and plan in advance. You can assign projects to a resident in the Community Center, and that resident will start working on the project and planting what you planned while you go about your day. There are a variety of ways to obtain popsticks, but the most straightforward option is to deposit debris and organic matter into the compost bin. Worm the frog will then reward you with popsticks!

Tending

Much like a real garden, plants need time to blossom. To increase the growth speed of seedlings, players can listen to plants and hear what fertilizer they prefer. For example, if you hear an oak leaf and pine needle, combine both into fertilizer in your inventory. Then give it to the plants directly. Buttercup, a merchant, also has a selection of mulch that you can check out for additional effects.

Harvesting

This is straightforward! Harvest and enjoy the fruits of your labor by picking blossoms or obtaining clippings of weeds and twigs. Flowers only need to be picked by hand. As for other harvestables, the appropriate tool is picked when you focus on a plant, tree, or shrub - so you dont have to worry about switching manually between equipment. Note that you may require tones, a resource, in order to obtain a seasonal harvestable. Tones are separated into temporary and permanent. Permanent tones can be obtained by using equipment. Hover over equipment in the menu to check what to do to generate permanent tones.

Gifts for friends <3

Harvestables can be used in a myriad of ways. Obtain seeds for the next iteration of the garden, or give them as gifts to vegetables residents that stop by the garden. You can also brew tea with certain harvestables, as well as trade the items with merchants for clothing, decorative furniture, and more. Remember, you arent locked into any forced loop of gardening. Plant as much or as little as you wish, as often or as infrequently. What type of garden and what plants you grow is entirely up to you!
The Garden Path launches on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 30! Bloom with us here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-13 15:17:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path is a place of your own to play and wander in! You choose how to spend your time, whether that be wandering around harvesting plants, finding new spots to songfish, or just chatting with a new friendly face. You wont be left without direction, and the Garden gently nudges you towards how to use tools. But afterwards, youll need to put your best boots on and grab gardening by the reins (or by the trowel). How the game unfurls is up to you. There are no continuous linear quest lines or main narrative throughline, though there are plenty of delightful characters to meet and chat with. The Garden Path offers a more meandering and flexible play, than a directed journey. Take your time tinkering with systems. Let curiosity and instinct guide you. Plant whatever strikes your whimsy, like a beautifully curated rose garden or if the impulse strikes, a wild chaos garden. Or perhaps just slowly stroll past the lakes and underbrush, listening to the sounds of birds.

One Bite at a Time

Meant to be a companion to your daily life, The Garden Path cant be finished in one giant bite. Stop by whenever the urge strikes to see how things have changed since your last visit! As time progresses in the real world, so does time in the Garden. You will have an opportunity to set the clock in-game, choosing how many hours behind or ahead of real-time its set at. You can only do this once, though! While youre away, new plants will have sprouted and different merchants will roam to and fro.

A Companion Through Thick and Thin

After a long day at work, make a pot of tea, and come back to the Garden to relax or to reflect. If its a nice summer day, perhaps take the game outdoors on your Nintendo Switch on the porch or in a park. The game can be cozy and full of mirthful charm, but there is a melancholic and nostalgic patina present, much like a rainy day or the static whirring of a slightly damaged cassette tape. The Garden is a place in which you have the flexibility to shape, but it also grows alongside you over time - and perhaps, can surprise you with a secret or two. The Garden Path launches on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 30! Peas wishlist here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-07-03 16:05:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Come hang out with Louis and Kat as they chat and draw furnishings! See you on Tuesday, July 2 at 10 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch!
Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-07-01 16:21:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the mysterious Garden. Armed with a tent, a few items in your bag, and endless curiosity, take your time getting to know the Garden and its visitors. And perhaps... you can also plant seeds of friendships? The Garden Path is meant for short bursts of play at a time. And every new in-game day brings different travellers to the Garden. If you see a toad, a bear, and other friendly faces roaming around, be sure to say hi. Maybe youd like to just listen to sarcastic, but endearing, banter from Tabbal the toad. Or perhaps youd like to check out what wares these travellers have in their bags. To obtain travellers items, youll need to trade items. Our game doesnt have currency like money or gold, and bartering is the way-of-life within it. Every merchant will part with their stock for different goods, like fish, flowers, tea and yes - even bundles of weeds! [previewyoutube=EgQLahmrBDs;full][/previewyoutube]

Augustus

One of the first travellers youll encounter, Augustus is an Eurasian Brown Bear. Hes earnest and a bit timid, but wholeheartedly enthusiastic about scouting. And we swear by scouts honor, hes the most loveable big guy youll encounter in the Garden.

Tabbal

Ah, mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the grumpiest of them all? Tabbal, a Turkish Berber toad, brings spunk, impatience, and attitude. He sells mainly spices and botanicals, but occasionally also has rare trinkets in stock.

Caoihme

With her passion for fashion, Caoihme is the Gardens resident fashionista. Shes an Atlantic puffin from Ireland. Approach Caoihme for antique furniture and to, of course, buy from her large collection of garments, hats, shoes, and more. She can also give gardeners haircuts!

Buttercup

Buttercups always equipped with her pickaxe and headlamp as a British Landrace Pig. Shes usually digging underground, but when she pops up, its because shes lost her way and decided to take a break. If you catch Buttercup during her breaks, exchange different soils with her for fine brews.

Bunk

A traveller who knows everything about tea, Bunk is a Japanese macaque from northern Honshu. Her tea knowledge comes from working with a team of tea masters after being adopted as a pet by a tea-loving poet. Shes on a journey to discover teas of all sorts. Chat with Bunk to experiment with flavors and discover new brews. Well have more travellers to show players in the future, so stay tuned for more info! As always, we appreciate any and all wishlists! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-06-25 15:16:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Our next art stream is in celebration of Pride! Come hang out with Louis and Kat as they chat and draw. We'll also have a special little surprise during the stream. See you on Tuesday, June 25 at 10 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-06-24 17:54:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Invite a dear friend over to garden together in The Garden Path! The local co-op feature has just been added to the beta. Chop wood, admire the flora and fauna, and maybe even just wander alongside each other. Asides from that, we're happy to announce that folks can also play the game in Japanese, Spanish and French in this beta update as well!
If you are a Kickstarter backer that chose Steam as your preferred edition, you should have received a Steam code for access to the beta. If you are not a Kickstarter backer, the other way to play the beta is to purchase it on itchio! Players who purchase the beta will also get the full version of the game when it releases on July 30.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-06-18 17:34:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Our next art stream is all about furnishings! Come hang out with Louis and Kat as they chat and draw. See you on Tuesday, June 4 at 10 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-06-03 21:30:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, After years of tending to our garden and sowing seeds, we are excited to announce that The Garden Path will sprout on July 30 for Linux, PC, and Nintendo Switch! We hope to see you in your best gardening boots and your finest trowel in hand. Just kidding! Well supply the gardening glam and supplies. All that is needed is you and an open, willing heart to wander and unearth the secrets of a mysterious garden. The Garden Path runs in concert with the real world, so when youre away, your garden changes. Its designed for daily play, so whenever the mood strikes you, take a peek at how your garden has transformed - as well as what new visitors, events, and activities are waiting. On the topic of visitors, you wont be alone in the garden. Speak with charming vegetable-headed residents as well as merchants that range from a grumpy toad, Tabbal, to Larto, a seasoned musk ox fisherman with a love for song-fish. If youd like to garden together with a friend, The Garden Path also supports local co-op with controller support for both players. Check out our release date trailer here: [previewyoutube=W2JESKn4we4;full][/previewyoutube] In additional news, our game is part of the Cozy & Family Friendly Fest Steam event! Our demo will be live from May 30 - June 4, and it is the perfect opportunity to get a sneak peek into how The Garden Path has grown. And dont forget to wishlist our game! The support would be unbeleafably (heh) appreciated by our small indie team. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-05-30 14:05:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Join us while we play the fresh demo for The Garden Path! Our solo-developer, Louis Durrant, from carrotcake is joined by Video Specialist, Kenny Chia, from Mooncat Games for a playthrough of the newest demo available on Steam during the Cozy & Family Friendly Celebration this weekend. Don't forget to leaf us a wishlist below: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2024-05-30 13:18:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, The Garden Path's de-moooo is now live. We're also currently part of the Farming Fest event on Steam. Say hi to vegetable residents and explore the gardens secrets. Open your hearts to the meditative and at times, melancholic, meandering journey. Get the demo here! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-05-03 18:05:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Take a breather and join Louis and Fern for another cozy lil hangout, as they chat and draw for our gardening game Come vibe with Louis Durrant and Fern on April 23 at 10 AM EDT / 2 PM GMT / 3 PM CET! Watch us on Steam or over on Twitch!
See you there! Cheers, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-04-22 15:57:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Drop by and join Louis and Fern for a cozy lil hangout, as they chat and draw furniture Come hang out with Louis Durrant and Fern on April 9 at 11 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET! Join us here or on Twitch!
See you there! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-04-09 14:20:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Bloom with Louis and Fern for a cozy lil hangout, as they chat and draw flowers Come hang out with Louis Durrant and Fern on March 26 at 11 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch!
See you there! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-03-26 09:00:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Our next art stream is a stylish one, and it will be focused on garbs for gardeners. Our streams are always a good time, full of fun conversations and whimsical chatter. Come hang out with Louis Durrant and Fern on March 12 at 11 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch! See you there! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-03-08 17:49:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Its been a while! Can you believe March is already here? Time sure flies! But it hasnt gone by without tons of tweaks and work for The Garden Path! But before we dive into the game updates

Thanks for 50,000 wishlists!

Weve made it! The Garden Path is an indie game made with tons of care. Reaching this milestone means the world to our garden. Thank you all for your patience and support, this garden would not bloom without it!

Game Updates

Since we've arrived in 2024 The Garden Path has seen a number of quality-of-life tweaks and optimizations for the game to run smoother on particularly low-end hardware. But, that isn't to say there aren't a few new arrivals to look forward to.

Introducing: Aime!

Aime has heard word that there's new gardeners afoot, and as adjudicator of the Goodly Green Gardens Society, he wants to see if your garden is up-to-snuff. Aime will visit just as your Garden comes into full bloom in the warmer weather

Quality-of-Life Feature Updates

The Designer can now be accessed from the dash, allowing you to make changes to your Garden without needing a contextual item or object to enter the mode.
Also, a new shovel indicator shows the plants that are small enough to unearth and move around the garden. You can also now scratch away the grass to create paths and flowerbeds.

Pinning the map has seen a revamp, allowing you to place as many pins as you'd like, as well as choosing an icon from a new dropdown menu that helps customise the reminder. Map pins will always appear while playing the game to the side of the screen, letting you know you are close.

New Vegetable Residents!

More residents have arrived in the Garden - say hello to Clair the potato, Theo the lemon, Grant the carrot, and Glenn - a fan favourite!
Fun fact: Grant is the first ever resident designed for The Garden Path back in 2018 - it's great to see them finally in-game. Just like all the other residents, you'll need to make sure the Garden meets certain requirements before they decide to call it their home. You might still catch them wandering around day-to-day.

Gardener Glow Up!

Those aren't the only new faces now in the Garden, there's new player faces too! A range of different features are now possible on the player model. This will be particularly important for multiplayer to help differentiate one another. When starting a new game, your determined face will be random, but there may be someone in the Garden you can talk to who can help roll that dice again.

Your usual reminder

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers. Thank you all your patience and support, this garden would not bloom with out it! Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter Follow us on TikTok Find us on Instagram Keep up via Mastodon: ldurrant

[ 2024-03-07 18:59:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, We're back at it again and would love to spend time with you all during an art stream! It's always a good time, full of fun conversations and whimsical topics. Louis Durrant and Fern will draw vegetable residents and hang out on February 26 at 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch! See you there! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-02-26 17:34:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Love is in the air! And we'd love it if you joined us for sweet like a dream stream. Louis Durrant and Fern will draw cheesy valentine cards featuring the garden residents in a livestream taking place on December 12 at 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch!
See you there, loves! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2024-02-09 21:55:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners, The winter weather settles in and 2023 draws to a close. Of course, this brings up the big question: Is The Garden Path still up for a 2023 release? As promised last month, we have an update to share with you to go over the ups and downs of the months past and months ahead.

When is the game releasing?

We are currently shaping the game to be the best it can be. The game's content is ready and waiting, however there are still some performance improvements to make before its ready for a full release, especially on Nintendo Switch. The Garden Path, while still a game about small moments, has grown to be a more mature project than I had imagined when I first started working on it years ago, and I want to be sure it gets its best chance when stepping out into the world. With hopefully just a little further to go, I need just a bit more time to polish the game before everyone can get their hands on it so that youll be able to play The Garden Path in late Spring 2024. Theres also a new trailer to show for it! [previewyoutube=IS6Iiz-Bq9A;full][/previewyoutube] I wanted to take the time to look back on The Garden Paths' development by wiping the dust off the old development blog. If you'd like to read more of my thoughts on the delay (as well as read about the game's development since 2018), you can check out my blog. Thanks to everyone whos been supporting my project for all this time, its wild to think how tall things have grown since the start. And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server here. Its where you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, its a great place to share your real-life gardening adventures with fellow gardeners. Until next time Louis, carrotcake

• Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU
• Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake
• Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake
• Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake
• Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2023-12-11 17:00:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Can you believe we're in the last month of the year!? Where has time gone... In the spirit of the holidays, Louis Durrant and Fern will draw ugly holiday couture for the garden's residents in a livestream taking place on December 12 at 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. Join us here or on Twitch!
This will also be the last stream of the year. We hope everybody has a restful holiday period, and we'll see ya'll on stream again in 2024! Best, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2023-12-07 17:57:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Hot tea? Check. Warm blanket? Check. Relaxing art stream filled with charming 'lil furnishings and items? CHECK!! Join Louis Durrant and Fern at 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET for their usual banter & lovely illustrations. You can catch us here or on Twitch!
See you there! Louis, carrotcake [url=https://discord.gg/cH4b6T6MTc]Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2023-11-13 20:30:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Long time no see! Weve been working hard these past months, and have an update for our gardeners! Before jumping into the updates on features were working on, we want to answer your most frequently asked question:

When is the release date?

Finishing touches are still working their way into the game, so that time spent in the Garden is as enjoyable and as accessible as possible. But, while we're still polishing the game, you can expect more concrete news in the coming weeks! Growth can take time, and we really appreciate all of your support and patience during this process. I have been hard at work on new features to help make The Garden Path a richer experience, like lost spirits who visit the Garden in need of help, and the highly-requested input remapping on keyboard. While we wait for the news later on this month, I thought I would take some time to go over a handful of these upcoming features to look forward to. Let's take a look!

Game Updates

As mentioned, there's a new kind of visitor now in the Garden. Spirits who have lost their way might be looking for harborage, but their worried thoughts will keep the Garden around them from growing, casting a dark shadow that surrounds them. By spending tones you can reassure the spirit and help send them on their way. You'll almost certainly want to head into the Garden and find the right herbs and botanicals to prepare for the encounter.
If you're having trouble finding the right plant, you can now track families of flora in your encyclopaedia, if you've recorded enough of that family. This way, when opening the map, you can see where hotspots of that plant are growing, and you'll know where to go when foraging.
The map itself has seen some love too, with new smaller pins that expand when highlighted, helping to make the map easier to read when objects are cluttered. The old information panel has been updated with new animations, and better groupings and explanations of what's going on in the Garden, to keep you in-the-know.
* A long-requested feature, input remapping, is now available for players playing with a keyboard. This is an early addition that will need more testing and ironing out, but I hope this sets things on the right track for control customization, especially for those who feel the default controls aren't intuitive or comfortable.
* A new algorithm determines what tasks a resident of the Garden might ask of you. By keeping a closer tally of what's growing in the Garden, and what you have on-hand, tasks that are delivered are no longer random. Instead, they are picked when the game believes the requirements of that task are within arms reach. Resident errands are also no longer daily. Before, a random number of residents would opt to have an errand available, now available errands will come and go as you play in the Garden. If a new errand becomes available, it will appear in your Overview overlay, along with the character and where you can find them in the Garden to begin the task. Available errands will last a good while, but ignore them for too long and the resident might change their mind.
* A while ago I took the guesswork out from constellations by showing how the stars are connected from the beginning - as early player feedback suggested it wasn't fun guessing from all the stars which may or may not be connected. But, more recently, playtesters felt they were missing the reveal of the constellation. Now, constellations will slowly form as you learn more about the stars. After observing a star, you'll also reveal what stars that star is connected to, hopefully piquing your interest for what you might unlock next.
And there's a bunch of new stars to unlock now too! A new type of star that glows green will help guide you through the content of the game when starting out. These stars are automatically tracked in your task tracker, filling up as you complete them, so you shouldn't miss out. * Before, a large number of control options were either hidden, or dotted around inconsistent places of the UI, but a new global input guide will now follow the player and contextually list the actions you have available, whether you're running around the world, using your inventory, or whatever else. The guide will also reposition and scale depending on what's open on screen, UI scaling for readability, and whos playing, hopefully making the best use of screen real-estate.
* Finally, a push for optimization has been underway to help the game run and load faster on different systems. Thanks to a new way of grouping objects in the world, the game loads into the Garden twice as fast in testing, making The Garden Path even easier to hop-in for a minute or two, or maybe longer. Hundreds of the game's textures have also been optimised to stream faster and be easier on RAM and GPU usage, which should be most notable on lower end systems. * I really feel as though The Garden Path is maturing as a project and, from my time playing, these additions go a long way to make the game feel more consistent and readable, and that the Garden itself is more alive and wants to be explored. Im excited to hear what new players think once they get their hands on it.

Usual reminders!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers! Until next time Louis, carrotcake Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2023-11-09 21:00:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear gardeners, Come join us for a cozy 'lil Halloween art stream. Louis Durrant and Fern will chat and draw everything pumpkin - including Jack-o'-lanterns. We'll be streaming at 11 AM EDT / 3 PM GMT / 4 PM CET. You can catch us here or on Twitch!
Happy trick or treating! Louis, carrotcake Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant

[ 2023-10-30 18:18:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

With summer in full swing, Im happy to share the news that The Garden Path will be part of the Tiny Teams Steam Festival! The event is live already and well be taking part throughout the week: store.steampowered.com/sale/tinyteamsfestival.
The Yogscasts Tiny Teams festival is dedicated to highlighting smaller indie game developers like ourselves, and its wonderful to be among so many great games. Do take the time to look through the festival page which is running from today until August 10th. Oh, and did we mention that the demo of The Garden Path will be available during the festival? Its the perfect chance to wander the garden and we hope you enjoy!

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-08-03 17:00:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

We're thick into the summer months now, as myself and the team have been hunkering down, climbing ever-closer to The Garden Path's approaching release. While I'm usually excited to use this space to share a bundle of new changes and features, with release on the horizon most of my efforts have been focused on bug fixes and polishing up the game's existing content for a 1.0. As such, a slightly shorter update this time! Still, a few important bits to share - so let's head into it.

Game Updates

A great deal of progress has been made moving the game to Nintendo Switch, with full optimizations underway to ensure the full game and full Garden will be available to take with you on-the-go. Those with slower hardware or older computers should also benefit, with higher frame rates and smoothing loading across the board. One of the heaviest calculations the game made was the player's lantern - lighting the Garden as you move through it. It never sat right with me that those who played the game at night might lose performance. The game's lighting has now been reworked to use no GPU lighting at all, instead layering sprites in a way to emulate sources of light.
Instead of lighting the darkness, the darkness is now moved away from the player, creating the appearance that the Garden is lit around them. With an excuse to spend some more time adjusting the lighting for the new system, I personally think midnights, mornings and dusks have never looked better, with a more filmic appearance that suits the game's style, instead of relying on the engine's provided lighting. A common piece of feedback from testing arose from those familiar with the game and choosing to skip the tutorial - 'why am I still seeing tutorials!'. While it was possible to skip over the starting zone, later tutorials would still appear. As triggering tutorials is required to collect guide stones, it was necessary to have these still appear so the player could progress. Now a new method of collecting guide stones is available for those skipping the tutorial. Small shrines appear throughout the Garden, which you can break apart to collect the stone fragments. You'll need to explore your new Garden to find them all, but there'll always be a surplus, so you aren't tearing your hair out trying to find that last one.
I hope these small changes, along with all the fixes in the pipeline, make The Garden Path a richer experience. It's a great feeling tieing all the loose ends from the last five years, as the project continues to mature.

Any thoughts?

Since we are inching closer to the release of The Garden Path, were going to be asking for general calls for feedback from those who have early access. Is there a mechanic in the game you felt needed a tutorial that didn't appear? Is there anything you found yourself having trouble understanding? Are there any elements you wish were present? Jump into the Discord here and let us know. All your thoughts and feelings about the game are more than appreciated.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-07-31 11:52:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope youre all well and have been enjoying the glimpses of sunshine that have been passing through, at least here in the UK. Work has been going well on The Garden Path, with translations well underway along with the usual upkeep. Lets pay a wave to May then by taking a closer look at what Ive been working on recently.

Multiplayer Trailer

A garden needs a gardenerwhy not two? Last week we shared a new trailer for The Garden Path, showcasing the games local multiplayer mode with some brand-new footage. This feature was previously announced during our Kickstarter campaign and will let you experience all the little pleasures of the garden with a friend, whether on PC (including Remote Play Together via Steam) or Nintendo Switch. With this trailer comes a new release window, as The Garden Path will now be blooming in Summer 2023 (More info on that below)! Take a look at the trailer below to see what the garden will look like with a companion [previewyoutube=GGXrxMvAa4E;full][/previewyoutube]

Game Updates

It's never fun moving a missed target, but, as with any project, there are often surprises and curveballs along the way. Sometimes a fix or a new feature surprises you with how quickly it can be implemented, and sometimes it takes a day or a week longer than hoped (and, as all we know, it's often the latter). Since our first demo in 2021, almost every aspect of the game has been reshaped in some way to make the game feel better to play. I'm proud of all these changes, and I think they've helped shape the game into more of-its-own. Early on in development, I took a lot of design decisions for granted because they were staples from other games - equipment menus, player stats, and so on. All the feedback has helped me step back and rethink these elements to better fit the kind of game The Garden Path is and should be. I'm planning on putting together a retrospective of these changes together soon, but I hope you've enjoyed my updates each month covering that progress bit by bit. Sometimes its hard to gauge how far things have come without going back to the start. But, without any more ado (!), here's what's new in the game this May. Stars in The Garden Path are a way to track your progress and time in the Garden. They've been, for the most part, untouched since the game's first demo, but will be a focus of development as we lead up to release. Animations and control for star navigation have been polished and made more responsive. The star UI now also supports different 'views', the default view shows the stars in the night sky, but stars are now able to be rearranged in a grid sorted by subject, to make them easier to find and move between.
A third view, allowing you to easily move between the different constellations, will be implemented in the near future, alongside many new stars that have been in the pipeline. Lastly, a new animation adds a bit of game-feel when spending a star map to observe a star. A handy icon in the bottom left keeps track of how many star maps you have in your inventory while viewing the stars.
The encyclopedia now features a new 'Garden' page. While other tabs keep track of the folk you meet and items you collect, this Garden page is designed to be more changing. When focusing on flora in the Garden, you'll have the option to 'Record' the flora, as well as harvest. The more of a certain family you record, the more information about that family of plants you'll have available to you, such as how many are in the Garden, what you can obtain from them, and the seasonality of the plant.
Eventually, with enough plants recorded, you will be able to track that family of plants, making it easier to find the plants you've spent the time studying. Work on localisation is starting to fall into place, with the game readied up to support Spanish, French, and Japanese. There's still work to be done, especially where content in the game is generated, but I hope you'll enjoy these sneak peeks. I really think each language shows the game in a new light!

Any thoughts?

Since we are inching closer to the release of The Garden Path, were going to be asking for general calls for feedback from those who have early access. Is there a mechanic in the game you felt needed a tutorial that didn't appear? Is there anything you found yourself having trouble understanding? Are there any elements you wish were present? Jump into the Discord here and let us know. All your thoughts and feelings about the game are more than appreciated.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-05-31 11:16:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Its time to sign off on April another busy month thats kept time feeling as short as ever. With characters being finished up, localisation entering its final stages, and 0.7 update preparation, it feels like theres more and more to talk about each month that goes by. I hope youll enjoy this look at what Ive been working on in the welcome warmer weather.

Meeting Frederick, Sal, and Olen

For April Fools this year our Community Manager, Alex, decided to give character design a go and created the unique fox accountant Frederick. Hes a bookkeeper, hes a little wonky, and he was made entirely via Paint - but he has a certain charm about him. Who knows, maybe Frederick will make an appearance (he wont unless?)
A handful of residents will soon be added to the game in the upcoming patch - this month we also introduced a new character to the garden: the peas Sal and Olen! As one of the rare (only?) two headed residents, Sal and Olen... Always agree on which way to go Don't always have the same song stuck in their heads Are just two peas in a pod
What do you think of this pair of peas? Are you excited to meet them in your garden?

Game Updates

It's been a long time in the works, but I'm excited to introduce the long awaited replacement to the game's stat system. Welcome in: tones.
A mood, a season, an outlook - 'tones' are named as such to represent what your character is experiencing and how they approach their work in the Garden. Tones are like a currency you use to harvest new items in the Garden. Not dissimilar to an energy system, tones are collected and spent to get what you want from the Garden. Unlike 'energy', tones are divided by the seasons. The Garden is seasonal, and so are the things that grow in it, so players paying attention to the change in weather and seasonality of different plants will be rewarded.
Tones are designed to help guide your actions throughout the Garden and hopefully make gathering and collecting more meaningful, without being something to micro-manage. Equipment in the game no longer has stats, but instead holds different ways to generate tones. Your coat might generate you a tone after catching a fish, or your hat might generate a tone as you walk through the rain.
To keep things balanced, once an item has generated a tone, it will take a little bit of time before a new one can be generated. Generated tones are reliable, but can be slow. The best way to get more tones? Tea! Tea will help provide 'temporary' tones - they won't last forever, but a big teapot holds many cups of tea to keep you topped up throughout the day. Or, maybe you'd opt for a smaller teapot - less cups, but a stronger flavour. Bunks duties have been delegated to selling ready-prepared teas, but now youll be able to brew up your own tea at any time from one of the campfires dotted around the map.
Anything that can be brewed into a tea will affect the tones each tea provides. Some items might enhance the tones another provides, or might change the tone entirely. Clothing now has a warmth rating. Dress too warm or too cold, and your equipment will take a little longer to recharge. Nothing to stress about, just something that makes wrapping up in the cold weather worthwhile. While temperature in the Garden changes throughout the day, your character's temperature is taken from an average of the day's temperature. You won't need to worry about the time of day you're playing, but should notice the warmth of late Spring, or the cooling in late Autumn. Your harvesting tools (axe and secateurs) now have a yield rating. Tools with a higher rating will make for quick work, whereas lower ratings will afford greater care to the plant being harvested. Youll want to make sure youre picking the right tool for the job. NPCs now carry a lot more stuff on the daily, and their shops now have tabs to keep things more organised. Certain, more crucial items will now always be in stock, so less is left to the roll of the dice. Shop tabs are organised by what the character stocks most of, so you can get a better feel for what each merchant is all about.
Inventory overflowing? One of the most common bits of feedback is that there's just too much in the inventory sometimes, especially after a harvesting session. There's a new way of managing items to help with that - your Collection! Harvestables are now automatically sorted into this new section of your inventory. The best part? Your Collection is infinite, so you don't need to worry about carrying too many acorns or bracken.
The second best part - in multiplayer your collection will be shared between both players, helping to pool your hard work together. This helps give more weight and focus to your more valuable pieces of furniture, trinkets or equipment, which remain in your inventory without diluting them with more common harvestables. To help keep things balanced, player inventories and bags are a little bit smaller across the board. With the brunt of 0.7 now behind me, its just finishing touches and balances before it makes its way to the beta. Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-05-02 18:20:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Spring equinox has come around at last, and with it a good sense of progression with all things behind the scenes in The Garden Path. Localisation is in full swing, while I continue to make headway with multiplayer mechanics. It's also been another busy month preparing for the upcoming 0.7 update. Let's take a look at whats new since our last check-in.

Game Updates

The notification manager, task tracker and Overview have now been combined into one piece of UI. While the Overview can be opened and closed, the Overview's tabs can now be toggled between while playing, so you can preview the information you want to see while playing. For instance, the task tracker can now be viewed by switching to the Errand Tab, and a relevant tutorial can be read while playing by switching to the Tutorial tab. The old notifications were helpful, but often expected attention, and would build up if not acted on. Now, tabs will contextually focus themselves as events happen in-game, and the information is categorised by subject, not chronologically, so updates will be easier to find. Then, if youd like more information, opening the Overview will bring you directly to the relevant tab.
Tutorials no longer pause the game, instead layering themselves over the game, so the flow of gameplay isn't broken. Tutorial text has also been streamlined to be more clear. Sometimes its good to pause the game to ensure important information isnt missed, but the response to the old system was that it was too intrusive. Ill be following feedback on this one closely!
'Designer' mode is now even more functional, allowing you to quickly place, move and pick up decorative items in the Garden, where previously it could only be used to place new items. Interacting with any moveable item now allows you to enter Design mode, so you no longer need to select an item from the inventory to begin customising.
Design mode now follows a grid by default, making it easier to align items accurately. Holding the movement key will slow down the speed of the item you are placing, and break you away from the grid, so you can more finely tune an item's placement.
The trading view with a character is now a list rather than a grid, giving a clearer view of the items available instead of needing to highlight over each item. This menu also predetermines the cost of each item, instead of generating the cost on selection. Lastly, this design helps differentiate the players inventory from an NPCs, so its always clear what UI youre viewing. This change will be part of a bigger redesign to how the player uses NPC shops.
A new 'fulfiller' menu aims to consolidate those moments in the game when you need to offer items from your inventory - whether it's completing an errand, making a trade, or brewing items into a tea. The iconography and design have been refreshed to make it easier to understand what you've selected, and what slots you've left to fill. Gone are the strange transparent circles that sit under inventories! Tradable items in the game now have grades, an easy way to get a sense for the value or rarity of an item. Meeting a character's trade requirements no longer requires meeting a hidden value threshold, but instead meeting the grades of items requested. If you have a stack of items, you dont have to guess how many you need to meet the required grade - the menu shows you that exact number. Selecting the item will automatically move across the right amount.
Next week begins work on the final features to get 0.7 ready for testing. I'll see you in April!

Any thoughts?

Since we are inching closer to the release of The Garden Path, were going to be asking for general calls for feedback from those who have early access. Was there a mechanic or element in the game you felt needed a tutorial that didn't appear? Was there anything you found yourself having trouble understanding? Did you find the tutorial pop-ups a blessing or a nuisance? Jump into the Discord server and let us know. All your thoughts and feelings about the game are more than appreciated.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-04-03 12:11:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Can you sense the turn of the season approaching? We certainly can here in the UK as the frosts are starting to ease as work continues on The Garden Path. Its been an exciting month with work on multiplayer, localisation, and optimisation taking place. So, lets take a look shall we?

Game Updates

Development focus in February has been optimization, localization, and multiplayer. You might remember last year the game had a big refactor to prepare its systems for eventual multiplayer. The good news is that the work is paying off! While you may have seen in previous updates, we were able to have both characters on-screen, characters now have their own UI, inventory and equipment. It's now possible to run errands together, harvest the garden together, fish together, and more.
This is still only available in internal builds, but it shouldn't be long now before I can ship it out for testing.
Optimization work has been underway to prepare the game for Nintendo Switch and those on lower-end systems, but everyone should benefit from the game now being more light-weight. Loading the game's world has been reworked, reducing loading into the garden from minutes down to seconds (on test systems!). Lighting in the game has been reworked to be less system resource reliant. For those with older graphics cards, having multiple lights on screen, especially where they overlap, caused heavy loss in FPS. Most lights in the game have been replaced with much less heavy alternatives. It gives ambient lights, especially in the Garden's dark hours, a more fuzzy, filmic look. Looking forward to hearing any feedback.
Many of the game's textures have been reworked to load faster and use fewer resources, while (hopefully) still looking just as good. In some instances, the game now uses half as much VRAM as it did previously. Most of my time this month has been spent preparing the game for localization so that the game can be enjoyed by players whose first language isn't English. I've been on a big push to get all the game's text ready, and so while most of the work has been under the hood, testers will soon enjoy more item descriptions, dialogue, and errands to arrive in the build soon. This also marks the start of moving on from the limited number of items included in the closed beta for testing, with the building blocks for the items that will be in the game's release now in place.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-02-27 14:26:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Happy New Year everyone, and let me begin by saying thank you again to everyone who has supported The Garden Path and the team over the last year. As we inch closer to release each month, I am so grateful to be able to share this exciting and tumultuous experience with you all. December was a month of work and rest, but were now back in full force working on localisation, coding, and more. Without further ado, lets hop into the update proper.

A Look Back

While we thought 2021 had been a busy year for The Garden Path, 2022 managed to surpass our expectations! Some pivotal additions, improvements, and revamps happened behind the scenes to make the game more stable and more enjoyable, while elsewhere the team were busy taking The Garden Path to festivals and streams alike. Heres a not-quite-extensive list of what happened in the garden over 2022:

• We started small by adding new flora, including marigolds, pansies, daffodils, and chrysanthemum.
• Bunks new design was introduced alongside a refresh to the tea-pouring visualizer.
• We introduced treasure into the game, allowing you to unlock the old gardeners journal and learn more about the old garden.
• We made an Anatomical-Tabbal for April Fools Day (who still loves some rain).
  
• We sold 100 early access copies of The Garden Path on Itch.io ahead of its full launch later this year!
• The character customiser had a revamp, increasing the combination of hair colour and skin tone from 22 to almost 2,000.
• We added (and played) conkers with our villagers!
• Tabbal was featured on the charity shirt for Wholesome Direct 2022, while The Garden Path returned to the cosy showcase.
  
• The Garden Designer was added to the game, allowing you to quickly plot out how you want your garden to look.
• The Community Centre opened its door in-game, with the brand new toad Worm in tow.
• We smashed past 10k followers on TikTok (with a couple viral videos too)!
• We went live on stream 26 times!
• A revisited tutorial system went live for our early access Itch players.
• Local multiplayer work took place, thanks to our wonderful backers getting us to our co-op stretch goal.
  
• We went to Steam Next Fest (again)!
• The Garden Path went all the way to San Francisco for Day of the Devs.
• Our release window trailer was published, announcing that The Garden Path will be blooming in Spring 2023!

[previewyoutube=lkt9u-Lv8aQ;leftthumb][/previewyoutube]

• We launched the beta version of the game on Steam!
• Weyley and Terracottas caravan of gardening furnishings, planters, and paraphernalia rolled into the garden.

As I said, this list is not exhaustive and plenty of other work went on both in-front of and behind the curtains. None of this would have been possible without you, of course, and the generous support extended to The Garden Path. And now were in the final stretch. Its hard to believe how far the game has come, so here is to the next few months of tweaking and polishing ~ well be sure to bring you along as usual.

Game Updates

Work on the game before the new year was focused on polishing the 0.6 update that had been a long-time in the works, and released early December. The Garden is now almost twice the size, expanding from 8 acres (2x4) to 15 acres (3x5), providing more room to explore and build on. This was based on feedback from testers as a good happy-medium between the originally planned 8 and 24 acre Gardens.
Load times have been greatly improved with further content streaming introduced, making it easier to load in and start seeing whats new in the Garden, especially with a much larger Garden now under your feet. This will be part of general performance tweaking between now and the games release. Campfires can now be found across the Garden, providing spaces for certain characters to hang out and rest, and for certain events to centre around. And, as part of the tea overhaul, youll also be able to use the fires to brew teas yourself on-the-go. Shovels can now be used across the Garden using the focus system, much like your axe and secateurs. You can collect soil, and dig up treasure.
Characters time-tables have been simplified, no longer coming and going across the day. Instead, any visiting character will come for the day and stay for the day. This means that won't matter when you decide to come to the Garden, you won't miss out on visitors. Lastly (and maybe most excitingly) work for The Garden Path on Switch started earlier this month and we're already seeing some great results. There's only so much I can say at this point, but I'm happy to report there haven't been any nasty surprises (touch wood)! 0.7 is in the works and will be focusing on stats and stars - the things youll want to start focusing on once youve gotten to grips with the basics. I'm eager to show off what I've had in the works - more on that to come, so stay tuned.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2023-01-30 10:30:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

How was your November? Its certainly been a busy month for The Garden Path. This is an exciting update, with a new Autumn trailer to reveal, plenty of game updates, and even some release date news. Lets get started.

Autumn Trailer

While we may be inching ever closer to the end of Autumn and the oncoming of Winter, its not too late to enjoy the comforts of the season. What better way to feel cosy, then, than with a brand new Autumnal trailer for The Garden Path? Take a peek inside the Gardeners journal, and say hello to some familiar travellers. [previewyoutube=lkt9u-Lv8aQ;full][/previewyoutube] Not only that, but with this trailer were also revealing that The Garden Path will now be blooming in Spring 2023! I understand this might be a disappointing set-back for some, as I had hoped to have the game ready before the year came to an end. It's important to me to make sure I get the game right, and while many have enjoyed the game during our demos and beta builds, with so many more fresh eyes on the game there has been a wealth of feedback for me to work through - be it something 'not feeling right', or sometimes not understanding why certain parts of the game work the way they do. Myself and the team came to the decision that this extra breathing room would be the best option to ensure that the final product is as good as possible when it comes to launch. The game is already so much stronger than it would have been had I decided to keep the builds closed, and I'm confident in how the game will shape up in 2023 - I'll be keeping you posted in my updates as usual! I hope it'll be worth any extra wait - it's well and truly been a privilege having anyone waiting on my work at all.

Game Updates

0.6 has been in-the-works since the summer, and it's a great relief to finally start introducing the changes into the main game. Starting today, the update will be rolling out to different beta platforms for testing. Welcome to the Garden: Weyley and Terracotta! These two sisters will travel to your Garden on-schedule, and carry with them on their caravan all sorts of different garden furnishings they've collected on their travels - they'll be the go-to for larger decorations, planters and paraphernalia. Unlike other travellers, Weyley and Terracotta's stock will be available in the Garden to browse, so you can get a real-world before you buy. Also, before arriving in the Garden, they will notify you when they'll be visiting, and what items they'll be especially looking out for - giving you time to gather-up and get the best deals.
To help keep you notified while playing, the function of the community board has been expanded to support bulletins. While the daily report keeps record of what's happening that day, bulletins will help to give you a heads-up on what will be happening in the coming days. You can now also view the daily report from the community board, should you wish to read it again.
The social tab in the game's overview is now fleshed out to help bring the Garden's residents to the forefront. You now have a record of the residents living in your garden, and your progress to unlocking a new resident. Locked residents are even automatically ordered, so you can see who you're closest to unlocking.
Those who joined me in last week's stream will know we can also welcome in two new residents - Jaime and Leslie! Perhaps no taller, nor wider resident has stepped into the garden until now.
And you might not have to wait too long to meet them, as each day a new resident will now visit the Garden whether unlocked or not. If you haven't met the requirements to unlock a resident, a random resident will visit the Garden to say hi, giving you a chance to see just whos wandering around, and who you might want to stay. Remember: how you customise the Garden will change who wants to call your garden their home. The Garden designer was introduced in the summer to help those who wanted to plot out their vision for the Garden, and now it's becoming the central place to alter and preview your garden design. All furnishings in your inventory can now be accessed through the designer menu, and selecting furnishing from your inventory will also open the menu. It's now much easier to place paths, fencing and garden furnishing while also building projects of your own.
Much of the guess-work has been removed in a small rework of the game's star system. Names of stars now always show, no matter whether you've observed the star or not - important for residents that require certain stars to be unlocked. Observing stars now reveals their unlock requirements. Star maps no longer observe a random star in the sky, but can be used from the star map to unlock a star of your choosing. Constellations are also no longer hidden, allowing you to see which stars you need to focus on to unlock a constellation.
Tea has also received a shake-up. You can now purchase and collect different 'vessels' for containing your tea. You'll start the game with a camping flask, but you'll soon be able to browse and collect various teapots and gaiwans to best suit the tea you're brewing. Different vessels will be able to carry different capacities of tea, keep your tea warmer for longer, or have effects on the brew itself. And new on your equipment list - your favourite mug! A variety of mugs will be available to purchase from travellers for you to sip from. These changes are in place for a planned rework of the player stat system, toward something that feels more impactful while playing - more on that coming soon.
Dye colours are also now shown on botanical items, so you can start to track which items to collect for which colours, as the dye system is rolled out in the coming months for hair and clothes.
And that's me all caught up. Looking forward to hearing any and all feedback. As with any new features in the beta, there may be quirks, oddities, and breakages, all of which I'll be working through in December. Otherwise, plans are to begin a steady trickle-in of 'mini-content' - all the furnishing, clothing and stories that have been in the works but yet to be finalised. Work on finishing up multiplayer and the Switch version begin in January - so hopefully we'll start seeing some footage of each soon, stay tuned! Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-11-30 16:35:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

A belated Happy Hallows Eve. October has been and gone, with some exciting happenings for The Garden Path. Today, we have a shorter update for you as we ramp up elsewhere, with an indie dev celebration to share alongside your usual game updates. Lets dive in.

Day of the Devs

We're so excited to be a part of Day of the Devs 10th Anniversary celebration, and its happening this week! The Garden Path is fortunate enough to have been invited to take part in both the Digital Showcase and the In-Person event taking place at The Midway in San Francisco. We will be showing some brand-new gameplay footage (including some bits you might expect to see in our new Itch update) and will have a demo available to play for those visiting on site. Tune in November 3rd at 5pm GMT for the digital show, or head on down this Saturday from 3pm PST to see The Garden Path and some other wonderful indie games.

To learn more head to: dayofthedevs.com!

Game Updates

We had a big influx of interest and new players for the Steam Next Fest demo, which we decided to continue throughout October. It was a great opportunity to see the response to the game through new eyes and expectations, while also providing a sweep of new bug reports that came about after porting the game to the new two-player system. (For those out-of-the-loop, the game doesn't currently support two players, but the game's system has been largely redesigned to accommodate a second player). The new tutorials were a success, and helped focus feedback and attention toward game-feel and balance, rather than new players feeling lost on what to do. Perhaps most overwhelmingly the response was that interacting with the garden could often feel cumbersome and overcomplicated. It can, for instance, be frustrating when you wish to chop a tree, but a small fern in front of the tree takes priority. The Garden is densely populated with trees and flora, and so conventional interaction systems don't always work, despite my efforts with fine tuning. The existing focus system was introduced to remedy this, but it's a mechanic that becomes more natural to use as you become experienced with the game, and so was often forgotten by those jumping in for the first time. As such, the interaction/harvesting system has been redesigned to bring focussing to the forefront, and make focussing as a concept more friendly to newer players. The old harvest button now draws an area in front of you, highlighting the trees and flora inside. This not only gives you a more clear overview of the space around you, but also allows the harvesting of multiple flora. With harvesting now done symbolically, you're free to queue up harvests, and move between flora on-the-go.
The response to the new system so far has been positive, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it holds up long-term. I think it feels quite novel to have a whole button dedicated to analysing the space around you, and I think it helps bring a sense of your surroundings to the forefront. The old focus system is still in-place, activated by holding the focus button rather than tapping it, so it's a natural progression to move from one to the other.
I'll be gathering more feedback in the coming weeks, but for now I hope working the garden feels more deliberate, and more satisfying as a result. 0.6 has been in-the-works alongside 0.5, and I'm really excited to finish up the new content for the backers who'll be joining us for the first time before the official launch. Be sure to follow us at the usual places for more updates! Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-11-02 17:18:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

For our next trick, carrotcake game dev Louis will be joined by cozy connoisseur Fern as they jump into The Garden Path's brand new demo for Next Fest! Catch the two at 4pm BST on Saturday, October 8th, right here on Steam carrotcake Grab your fishing rod, watering can, trusty axe, and... well, maybe you'll need a rucksack first... So, set a reminder and come wander with us...

[ 2022-10-03 15:49:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Join carrotcake game dev, Louis, and his streaming partner in crime, Fern, as they play the brand-new demo of The Garden Path in the first of our Next Fest streams! Catch the pair at 12 o'clock noon BST on Wednesday, October 5th, right here on Steam Will we catch some fish? Will we make some veggie-friends? Will they just sit around and drink some tea? Set a reminder, and find out...

[ 2022-10-03 15:49:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope everyone has enjoyed the now-passing summer season - or whichever season you might find yourself in over on your part of the world. Its been good to take a couple of weeks away and return with a fresh head, and Im looking forward to the Autumnal weather (already well underway) and getting stuck-in with the busy months we have ahead of us. Sizeable work has been made on The Garden Path since our last update in July. So, lets dive in and see whats new.

Steam Next Fest

Up first, Next Fest! The Garden Path is going to be in the Steam Next Fest starting on October 3rd. From then until October 10th, youll be able to download and play a brand-new demo for the game. Not only that, but myself and my streaming partner in crime, Fern, will also be dropping in for some special Steam exclusive streams. Keep your eyes peeled to find out when well be going live. Learn more, and wishlist The Garden Path, here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/.

Steam Backer Access

More exciting Steam news: The Garden Path beta access will be coming to backers sometime in October! For those of you who chose to get an early digital copy of The Garden Path through Steam, youll be getting your hands on that soon and I cant wait for you to begin wandering and growing gardens of your own. When this goes live, youll receive an email with your code and information on how to activate it. So, keep an eye out but worry not, well likely be sending out another mini update telling you to check your inboxes when it drops!

Game Updates

Firstly, thanks to everyone for your patience on the upcoming build. While I had hoped for the new tutorial system to be ready this Summer, to help keep things going smoothly work on local multiplayer has taken priority and started earlier than planned. As such, the game's code has had sweeping changes to support an extra player character occupying the Garden. Not dissimilar to renovating a house, when everything's in bits it's a good excuse to improve the foundations, and so I've taken the opportunity this summer to do some proper Spring cleaning to help make the game more stable and debuggable in the long-run. The good news is that most of the heavy-lifting for local multiplayer is now done! The next version of the game will be running on the new build that is built with two players in mind, only without the second player present just yet. This means that, if all's gone well, you'll notice very little difference! The downside for those excited for upcoming content, with most of the work under-the-hood, you'll notice very little difference. I hope all the hard work in this update will soon pay-off, when it eventually comes time to pick up that second controller. For now, here's a snippet from a build a few months ago!
As mentioned, the tutorial system has had a full review, and there'll be plenty of changes for new players to enjoy. Tutorials have been promoted from small notification cards, and are now fully fledged - designed to present the most important information first, with further details available for those who want to get into the nitty gritty.
The Old Gardener's Stones have been redesigned to no longer accept dustflies, but instead Guide Stones which you will collect as you explore the garden and gather tutorials. Something small to help the tutorials feel less of a nuisance, and something of a reward. A new tutorial tab in the Overview keeps a record of the tutorials you've seen, so you can revisit them any time. And another tab will soon be making an appearance - the social tab. Moved away from the encyclopedia, it'll soon be much easier to keep tabs on which residents are available, and how you can attract them to your Garden, whether or not youve progressed to unlocking the encyclopedia itself.
And there'll be even more yet to come! Work is well underway for new NPCs, events and furnishings, which I'm excited to finally take across the production line once the new build is stable.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers. Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-10-03 14:24:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

It feels as though July has rushed right past us this year. While work has been ploughing on as ever - with lots of proofreading, coding, designing, and music mixing - it has also been good to take a little break from the hot weather this month. Lets take a look at whats been happening around The Garden Path this July.

Some Streams

Recently my streaming partner-in-crime, Fern, made me aware that it has now been over a year since our first Twitch stream for fromcarrotcake. 24 streams and 283 followers later, its been a real treat sharing art and time with you all as weve discussed just about everything from how to create peaceful UIs to theoretical banana societies. More recently I've dipped my toe into a less scheduled format for streaming, where last Friday I hit the 'stream' button while working through mastering and mixing the game's soundtrack. Thanks to everyone who stopped by, it was fun sharing my thoughts, and made the time fly by. These lazy streams might make an appearance every now and then, so make sure youre following our channel if youd like to be notified when we go live! Follow us here: twitch.tv/fromcarrotcake. And of course, if you want even more The Garden Path streaming content, you can find us on TikTok where our wonderful community manager, Alex, goes live every other week as well as sharing all sorts of fun content. Have a look here: tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake.

Game Updates

With last months update being feature-focused, much of the work this July has been under-the-hood in preparation for big changes to come. My priority for the upcoming 0.5 update will be a revisited tutorial and new-player-experience. Ive been hard at work drawing up designs for a tutorial system that feels rewarding, unobtrusive, optional, and scales its information depending on how much the player wants to learn. This has been in-the-works for some time, and Im eager to invite new players to try out the game for the first time, and hear how they get on.
Work on local multiplayer, our second stretch goal, is now in full swing, as we figure out camera, UI and controls to suit two players working side by side.
The games code is being changed in big-ways to accommodate multiple player characters and their respective data thats collected while playing the game. Once the new systems work for single-player, it should be a simple step to drop another player into the Garden. Plans are in the works for an interface that works across two smaller screens, with both shared and player-specific elements, and a control system that adapts to more simple devices (such as a single joy-con). A small UI change has already made its way into the public build of the game - the new ID Card which helps provide more details for the item youre inspecting in the games different UI elements. Its been redesigned to better take advantage of vertical screen real-estate, allowing more room horizontally on-screen for single-player, and better fitting the slimmer split-screen views when multiplayer is ready.
Also some exciting news - a Nintendo Switch Dev Kit has been approved and will be on its way very soon! Hopefully, well start to see some very real Nintendo Switch footage of the game in the coming months. Watch this space!

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers. Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-07-29 14:46:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope you are all doing well, whether you find yourself in the warming summer weather, or if things are beginning to cool off on your side of the world. Work has been steady as usual, with a lot of proofreading, designing, coding, and of course, a lot of packaging, as the last of the physical Kickstarter rewards were sent out last month. Now, lets take a peek at whats been underway recently and how development has gone over the last month.

Wholesome Direct

We were delighted to be back at the Wholesome Direct, after making our debut with the cozy showcase last year! Not only did we get to show off a small clip of footage which you can watch on our YouTube channel if you missed it, but we were also invited to have our own Tabbal added into the design of one of the two Wholesome Direct t-shirts being sold in support of the Galaxy Fund, uplifting BIPOC, femme, and queer game creators. You can learn more about the fund and this years and previous recipients by visiting supportgalaxy.fund. Heres the design below, can you spot Tabbal in the bunch?

Game Updates

A great deal of progress has been made since our last write-up. Last week brought with it the 'Marigold' (0.4) content patch which was bundled with a wealth of new features and changes. Trading in The Garden Path has seen a complete overhaul. Reflecting on user feedback, it seemed the currency-less philosophy was well-received in concept, but the mechanics could be confusing at times. With small bars and big bars cluttering up the inventory, each with different colours and often-unclear meaning, trading could become mostly guess-work. The new system takes that guess-work away by bringing items characteristics to the forefront. Characters will now make their requests through a series of 'slots' you can fulfill with the variety of items in your inventory.
The requests are seeded, meaning that while each request is uniquely generated, the generated result will always be the same depending on what you wish to buy. That way if you don't have what you need, you can return with the right items and be free from any surprises (although, the seeds may change between updates!) 'Popsticks' are a new collectible obtainable in the Garden, each representing the different available family of plants you can grow.
But, perhaps more importantly, you can spend your popsticks via the new garden 'projects', placing them to help you plan and visualise areas of your Garden. The new 'Garden Designer' helps you quickly plot out how you want your garden to look. Projects are automatically named based on the size of the design, and the plants that you've selected to use. Projects are kept and remembered in your inventory, so you can put one down and start another, or as many as you would like.
The new Community Centre is open for business, now found in the starting acre just across from the shrine. The Community Centre is made of three parts, two of which are now available. The first: the Community Board. Currently you can take the projects from your inventory, and initiate them; taking the plan you've made and blocking it out into the actual game world, allowing you to easily plant the right seeds in the right places, and track your progress. Soon you'll be able to assign different residents of the Garden to help work on your projects too. The Community Board will soon also be a hub of activity, giving you a clear idea of what's on, and what to look forward to in the coming days.
The second part is the new Compost Bin, found on the right-most side. Here you can dump any and all harvestables and botanicals you've collected in exchange for popsticks - the greater the quality of items you compost will yield a greater number of popsticks, and the greater variety, the rarer the popsticks you will qualify for. A good way to clear up inventory space, and build up your collection in return. But who should come and collect the compost other than new garden-frequent, Worm! Worm has a penchant for fine bio-degraded garden waste and will be the one delivering your popsticks each day, should you have offered up items to compost the day prior. Keep an eye out, and be sure to say hi.
Finally, a large amount of under-the-hood work has at last been pushed to the public build as of 0.4.1, most importantly the new world-streaming system which should significantly reduce load times and memory use in short play sessions. This is an important stepping stone in making the game more stable and optimised, in preparation for our Kickstarter stretch goals - Nintendo Switch support and local multiplayer.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path. And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers. Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-06-30 14:18:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

We are well on our way into Spring now and as we inch through the year we get ever closer to the release of The Garden Path! While work continues behind the scenes, we took a big step at the end of April as we placed 100 early access copies of the game on itch.io (with only 35 left)! For now, though, lets head into whats new in The Garden Path.

Game Updates

An updated character creator screen is now available, not only providing many more increments between each option but also including an entirely new slider to select your character's hair colour separate to skin tone. This means the total number of options has increased from 22 to almost 2,000! Changes also include better contrast from darker skin tones, as well as silver or greying hair.
Mulches have been added to the game, stocked and sold by Buttercup. Mulches are a way to further customise your garden. You can adjust the level of the soil to better accommodate different plants, choose to speed up, slow down, or totally halt the growth of the plant, and also cast the plant in a permanent state of spring, summer, autumn or winter, either to capitalise on certain harvestables, or change the look of certain trees throughout the Garden.
And coming very shortly: conker battles! Put your collected conkers to the test against residents of the Garden, collect winnings and build up a win streak. Villagers will challenge you to a match, and you'll pick which of your conkers you're willing to risk. Soon you'll be able to customise your conkers, and they'll change in hardiness and appearance depending on their age or which botanicals you apply.

Your usual reminder!

And as always, here is your reminder that you can join our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. Here you can chat with the team, meet fellow backers, and help me shape The Garden Path!And of course, we encourage you to share your real-life gardening with your fellow gardening gamers Until next time Louis, carrotcake Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/ Keep up via Mastodon: https://mastodon.art/@ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-05-11 12:18:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I'm just stopping by with a small but exciting update for you all today~

I'm thrilled to announce that 100 early access copies of The Garden Path are on sale RIGHT NOW on Itch.io ahead of the full launch on PC, Nintendo Switch, and Linux later this year!

Itch.io is the place to be, to walk The Garden Path early, to make friends, to make tea. While this decision came partially from the desire to give those who missed out on backing The Garden Path during our Kickstarter last year another chance to support the game, this limited release also serves as a thank you to everyone for everything you've done to encourage and strengthen this game, this community, and myself and the team. Truly none of this would be possible without you! "Farm, fish, and befriend enchanting residents as you explore the old garden and welcome your role as the new gardener in this pensive taste of the simple life." This launch features early access to the full game, which means some features are still missing and some bugs are still lurking along the path. Your feedback will help guide me in making sure The Garden Path is as polished and charming as it can be in time for the full release later this year, and I appreciate every piece of feedback or bug-spotting you share! This early access build will also receive all future updates to the game and will be updated regularly as development continues with your help.

To find out more, or to grab yourself the game, head over to Itch.io: https://carrotcakestudio.itch.io/ Oh, and did I mention the price will be cheaper than at full launch!?

For those of you who have already backed the game here are some answers to what you might be wondering...

If you chose Itch.io as your preferred platform then you will be getting access to this same early build of the full game! Expect to see that pushed on the Itch.io dev log, or keep an eye on our Discord server! If you chose Steam as your preferred platform then unfortunately the wait continues. You'll have access to the game at full launch, as soon as possible. If you would like to switch to Itch.io then just send us a message here on Kickstarter and we can link that request for you and make it happen!

Thank you so much as always, whether you backed the game last year, will be buying the game on Itch.io, or are just hear reading and supporting The Garden Path! Until next time Louis, carrotcake ~ Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/ Keep up via Mastodon: https://mastodon.art/@ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-04-21 14:13:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope youre all well and have been enjoying the glimpse of sunshine that emerged recently, at least here in the UK. Theres something lovely about these brief moments of summer, and its nice to see the changes of the seasons outside of The Garden Path and in the real world. Lets take a peek at whats happening this month and how development has gone over the last

Journey to Kingdom Ka

This month weve decided to do a special stream where well be taking a look back at my earlier work: Kingdom Ka. This art game is a retelling of the world's oldest stories - enter an abstract world built from pattern and collage, filled with wonderful characters all looking to share their tales. My co-streamer in crime, the lovely Fern, is going to be playing the game live on our Twitch Channel on Wednesday April 13th from 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST. Im excited to sit down over the game and talk about the ways in which my style and process has come since this project, as well as spotting the similarities and differences between it and The Garden Path. You can follow us on Twitch so that you dont miss out on this one: https://www.twitch.tv/fromcarrotcake

Game Updates

Look at the sky! There'll soon be an array of constellations available to unlock to further customise your Garden. From The Noble Protector, the bear constellation, which will hardy up your plants, or The Early Riser, the lark constellation, that extends daylight hours.
You'll soon be able to turn in your charged dustfly jars and receive a voucher from one of the many travellers that visits your Garden. With the voucher, you'll be able to claim any one item, or stack of items, from their stock. This way, you can collect vouchers and redeem them at a later date should you want to, so you aren't bound to the stock that character carries that day.
Song fish will soon boast a much more varied set of icons to help better differentiate themselves. Fish are now categorised by type of song they produce - some help the garden to grow, while others shift the flow of time, and this is now reflected in their artwork.
Fashion in the Garden path gets another step up with a range of new trousers, boots and garbs making their way into the game to don. With Caoimhe now a mainstay of the travelling team, they're a one-stop-shop for changing up your stats and appearance. The Garden is beginning to see treasures and secrets unfold, and Thom will be your guide. There's a mysterious blue seedling growing in the Garden. What could it be? Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/ Keep up via Mastodon: https://mastodon.art/@ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-04-08 12:15:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

If you follow The Garden Path on other platforms such as Twitter or TikTok, then youll likely have met some of The Gardens vegetable-headed residents. From Caroline to Art, Molly to Otto, Ive been sharing some facts about the folk you might meet during your play. I thought it would only be fitting to share a little bit more about some of the animal travellers that will wander through The Garden from time to time - sharing wares in addition to some wise words. Who else could we start with, then, on National Pig Day?

So please welcome Buttercup...

Buttercup is a British Landrace Pig who loves digging through the earth and mud. With a cheery, cheeky attitude, Buttercup is a classic salt of the earth kind and is a treasure to meet. Most of her time is spent underground mining for irrigation. However, its not unlike her to get lost on occasion and shes known for scrambling up and stumbling into growing gardens ~ much like your own. Still, getting lost is a difficult business. As such, Buttercup is likely to take a break and treat herself to a reinvigorating cup of tea while taking her well-deserved rest. Because of her time underground, Buttercup has managed to collect an impressive cluster of different soils. If youre lucky enough to catch her while shes above-ground, then be sure to offer her a fine brew, and maybe youll get a sample of her collection in exchange.

Game Updates

The player map is being revisited, now generating itself automatically according to the layout of trees, rivers and bridges. It still needs a bit of work, but helps to provide a more accurate overview of the garden, and will change now as the garden changes. It also alleviates my task of hand-drawing each map portion, as it was done previously.
Bunk's new artwork has finally landed, along with a refresh to the tea-pouring visualizer.
New reeds and rocks decorate the rivers and water-ways, helping them visually settle into the garden's landscape. A subtle new foliage effect has been added to the game, where the artwork slowly fades in and amongst itself, giving it a better feeling of depth, and a more ethereal mood to the garden, without being distracting.
Caoimhe will now find their way into the garden, and will be stocking up on the latest garbs and trends for your character to don.
...And because small touches are important, there's now a subtle dust animation when the player runs, and you'll leave behind little footprints in your trail.
But there's more that's yet-to-come this month. Soon, depending on how keen-eyed your character is, you'll begin to notice spots for treasure, either buried underground or tucked into the nooks of trees. Among other goodies, you can begin to unlock the old gardener's journal this way, and learn more about the old garden.
And finally, Cold's Pass will soon be arriving to the game, an end-of-year ceremony to say goodbye to the cold weather, and welcome in the new spring. Seems particularly fitting this time of year...
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/ Keep up via Mastodon: https://mastodon.art/@ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-03-01 13:15:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Its still Winter, still cold. But work on The Garden Path hasnt been hampered by the chill here in the UK. On the contrary, work has been in full force and I am pleased with the place its in right now. Lets head into the update to see whats new.

Featured features

With new content being implemented behind the scenes, The Garden Path has a whole host of new features to mention Furnishings for the garden can now be layered, allowing you to hang smaller items on trees or place them on tables or cabinets.
Many new plants and flora have also been added to the game, including marigolds, pansies, daffodils, chrysanths - but youll need to find the seeds to plant them! The movement system has seen some updates, including the base speed for the character increasing, increased base stamina, and faster sprint speeds, which should help you get to where you want to go in good time. A new sprint animation has also been added, so you can really feel the wind in your hair.
The new pathfinding system has been introduced to the game, which will eventually allow characters to traverse more intelligently across the map, but for now should provide shorter loading times ~ something were working on whittling down further. The game has been moved over to GLES3, which should provide better performance on newer systems, especially in areas with many lights. Tents have made a triumphant return. Theyre now easier to place, and no longer require a loading screen to enter or exit, simply walk up to the tent, unzip the door and youre in. A great way to start your corner of the Garden.

A Little Bit of Fun

Something our Community Manager, Alex, has been working on lately was a little personality quiz based on some of the animal travellers you might find in The Garden Path, and now you can give it a go. Its short and sweet but great fun. I spent too much time answering the questions myself! Find out which character you are here, and be sure to share your results in our Discord server or in the comments.
Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-02-08 18:35:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

2021 was a pivotal year for The Garden Path, and surely one to remember. From officially announcing the game, to launching a Kickstarter; growing a team, to releasing new builds its been as daunting as it has been exciting. While it hasnt yet been a full year since the game was officially announced, it is only fitting that we celebrate how far we came in 2021 as we see in the new year.

A retrospective

Perhaps the best marker for how far the game has come over the last 12 months is going back to watch the games Flash Talk for the 2021 digital Godotcon, which aired close to a year ago today. The game really was hanging on by a thread at the time, and to see how much has changed visually and mechanically is hopefully a good sign for what we can achieve in 2022. Following that, spring was a busy and exciting time for The Garden Path (which might be fitting for a game about gardening). On May 26th the game held its official press announcement and was met with an incredibly humbling response. I couldnt have asked for a warmer reaction. Nearing the end of Spring, The Garden Path was lucky enough to be featured in the Wholesome Direct Showcase as part of E3 2021. It was surreal seeing the game being played alongside a whole host of great games.
After some long talks and some trepidation, we launched our Kickstarter in the summer. It was a challenge that, when beginning work on the game, I never imagined I would undertake. It was good fun designing and drafting the rewards for each tier, which I hope helped capture some imaginations along the way. The games time on Kickstarter came to a close at 152% funding with an amazing 30,474 pledged a feat that could only have been achieved thanks to the trust and support of the games backers and followers who did so much in lifting the game to the finish line and beyond. Thanks to everyone who supported the game, that extra 52% helped us to hit both of our stretch goals and is now helping us to bring The Garden Path to Nintendo Switch and multiplayer. The demo from the Kickstarter, and later for the Steam Next Fest in October, proved to be invaluable as sources of feedback for the game, and where things could improve moving forward. Following that feedback, many things were reworked, rewired, rewritten, to make the game better to play as well as more accessible. In early December, Kickstarter backers got access to the beta version. Weve still got a little way to go from here, but lets take a look at the work thats already been going on over and under the hood since the betas release.

Game Updates

Thanks to the help of willing backers, there's been a real effort already in testing the game, finding bugs, and fixing them on the community discord. If you were a backer that opted for the itch.io version and would like to join in, hop on over to our Discord. Many dozens of bugs, from quirks to crashes, have already been fixed since then, but I've also been focusing on providing new features and tweaks to hopefully make the game better to play.
A big request from the start of the game's inception has been the availability of multiple saves, and we now have a rudimentary system in place to support them. You can hop between your different gardens from the main menu, and starting a new game will no longer overwrite your old work. Soon the system will receive more polish, allowing you to delete old Gardens you no longer want. A big quality-of-life improvement was added in the form of 'Nearby Indicators', which now appear when an NPC is off-screen but close by. This makes finding that NPC you're looking for even easier, without the need to pause and search the map.
The function of the player's map has also been given a redesign, now allowing you to sweep the map with a reticle rather than by the acre. Today I implemented pins which you can place across the map to aid you as a reminder. Soon the pins will be integrated into the Nearby Indicator system, making it even easier to find your way around the Garden.
In-the-works and soon-to-be-available is a big overhaul of the game's mapping-navigation system which will allow for better character movement and placement. Some NPCs that are currently on the bench rely on this new system so will be soon to make an appearance. It should also speed up the game's loading time by some margin. Development is back in full swing in 2022, and Ill be sharing as much progress as I can along the way. And there we go. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed and supported The Garden Path this year, I owe it to all of you for sharing this turbulent and exciting year with me. Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: @fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake Keep up via Mastodon: @ldurrant Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2022-01-07 12:17:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

It's been a short while since we shared our last update with you, but it has without a doubt been one of the most productive months for The Garden Path. Development has been gung-ho, and I have some very exciting news to share with you regarding where we are with the game. Lets take a look at whats new.

Game Updates

Lots of attention has been spent on how you experience the garden day to day. The garden now forecasts the weather ahead of time, as well as who will be visiting your garden. On each new day, youll now be greeted with an overview of information to help keep you in the loop. Some characters will let you know what time of day they will be stopping by, and might even dib on other characters plans.
The encyclopedia tab is now open for business, helping fill you in on what you've discovered across the garden, and what targets you need to meet to attract certain residents.
The errand system has been revamped to allow for more complex errands, as well as supporting multiple errands from individual characters. More errands have been added to keep you busy, and help learn more about the characters and the history of the Garden. Plenty of new garden furnishings have been added too, including pathing, fencing, and you can now combine certain furnishings too - like placing smaller objects on tables, or hanging items from tree branches.

Finallysome odds and ends

A gentle reminder that there is an exclusive Kickstarter category on our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. This is a great space to ask any questions you may have about the Kickstarter or the surveys that all backers should have now received, as well as to chat to the team, meet fellow backers, and help me in shaping The Garden Path. If you backed The Garden Path and want to gain access to the Kickstarter space, be sure to join our server and make sure youve sent your Discord ID in with your backer survey. Your backer role will be added then, and youll be in! I also wanted to highlight our TikTok, run by our own Community Manager: Alex. The account is a lot of fun and its a great way to keep up to date with The Garden Path. You can get to know some of the characters, see some sneak peeks into the game, and of course, have a good laugh. There are many bad puns to be found... If this is something youd be interested in checking out then you can give us a follow here.
And thats that. Stick around for more updates on The Garden Path soon! Until next time ~Louis * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path

[ 2021-12-06 17:21:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

Happy late Halloween and Bonfire Night everyone! October was an interesting month for The Garden Path, with a great deal of work going on behind the scenes (some of which is very exciting and youll be finding out about very soon).

#TGPtober was a Cozy Hit

Our take on the Autumn Inktober Tradition was a lovely constant throughout October. I had a great time coming up with ideas and illustrations for each new prompt, and it was even better seeing your own designs inspired by the challenge. Ive been so impressed by the creativity and love that people have put into this project - from creating charming original characters to trying out new styles and techniques. While we cant show off every piece that was created as a part of #TGPtober, we did want to highlight a few of our favourites. Thank you again for taking part in this challenge with me, I hope well have the opportunity for similar events in the future.
1. Pias Original Vegetable-Headed Character - @piniaart, on Twitter and Instagram 2. Pixies Eleanora and Chester gone Fishing 3. Cat Linds Original Vegetable-Headed Character: Luca - @realkenma, on Instagram 4. Evan McIntyres Original Vegetable-Headed Character: Cocohead - @ebrownm, on Instagram 5. Sophie Cs Original Animal Traveller: Lillian - @marethyu42, on Twitter 6. Harriets Flowers - @DaggerMcTimbers, on Twitter 7. Lily of the Valley by @maps_by_nim, on Instagram 8. Priscillas Original Vegetable-Headed Character: Laurel - @crystalunvrs, on Twitter 9. Blind Lucks Egret Orchid - @blinded_luck, on Instagram

Some bits and bobs

Dont forget, we have an exclusive Kickstarter category on our official Discord Community server, which you can join here. This is a dedicated space where you can ask us questions about the Kickstarter, chat with fellow backers, and help me in shaping The Garden Path with your feedback and ideas. If you backed The Garden Path and want to gain access to the Kickstarter space, be sure to join our server and make sure youve sent your Discord ID in with your backer survey. Your backer role will be added then! Work on the physical and digital rewards continues to take place behind the scenes, but we wanted to give you a sneak peek of the special reward for The Collectors - the handcrafted ceramic figurines of some of the gardens residents. I think theyre looking rather charming...
In last months update I spoke a little about how The Garden Path team is expanding, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Im pleased to say that not only did we recently bring on Megan as our new Environment Designer, but also that we recently closed applications for a Contract Developer, who will be coming on board to help develop the local multiplayer systems unlocked in our Kickstarter stretch goals. I feel very fortunate to be in the position to recruit new collaborators to work within bringing The Garden Path to life. I hope this will allow us to create the best version of the game, while making sure that everyone can maintain a good work/life balance.

Some Game Updates

With all the great feedback from the demos, there's been lots more work than anticipated on my plate to update fundamentals on how the game works, plays and feels. Menus have been simplified and consolidated, and a new contextual control system streamlines how you interact with the Garden, no longer requiring you to equip each tool you wish to use. A new, optional tutorial helps show you the ropes before you start playing so that newer players don't feel overwhelmed. There have also been updates to the physics of how the player moves to hopefully be more brisk and responsive, as well as improvements to the camera. I've also completely rebuilt how the game delivers ambient noises, like wind and birdsong, so it feels as though it's moving around you as you travel the Garden. Night-time audio has received attention too, for those who found the crickets to be irritating at best. The new-game menu has been rewritten too, with some more options, and now more than 20 skin tones to choose from (up from the previous three). I hope it will be worth the extra wait, I'm really happy with the way it's shaping up.
And thats all folks. Stick around for more updates on The Garden Path soon! Until next time ~Louis * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path

[ 2021-11-15 20:56:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

A late happy Halloween to you all ~ I hope you enjoyed your spooky weekend however you decided to spend it. I am stopping by with a little post to announce that I will be doing another art stream this Wednesday! Whether you've never popped by for one of my streams before, or have been enjoying the behind-the-scenes look at The Garden Path, this is a great chance for you to ask any questions you may have about the game, see how I work, and help me design some brand new furnishings for the game. Join me and my regular streaming partner in crime, Crakie, when we go live on Steam and Twitch, from 6am PST / 9am EDT / 1pm GMT / 2pm CET on Wednesday (Nov 3rd).
In our last stream, you decided that you wanted to see me create a new vegetable-headed character: Maurice, the confident Cauliflower (whose final design can be found in our official Discord community ~ which you can join here!). This time, we decided to take on the runner-up of your votes and create some brand new garden decor that you'll be able to use to adorn your garden, and I look forward to getting stuck in. So be sure to follow carrotcake on Twitch and Steam, if you haven't already, so you're the first to know when the stream starts: Follow on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fromcarrotcake Set a reminder on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/The_Garden_Path/ I hope to see you there, and thank you as always for supporting The Garden Path. Until next time ~Louis * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on Instagram: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path

[ 2021-11-02 16:07:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope everyone is doing well - today I just wanted to stop by and share that I'll be back with another art stream next Tuesday (Oct 19th)! If you've enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes of The Garden Path then this is another chance for you to see my work process or ask any questions you might have about the game. Do join us when we go live on Steam and Twitch, from 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST! However, while I will be back alongside my regular streaming partner in crime, Crakie, this art stream will be a little bit different, as you can help decide what I work on during the stream. I'll either be designing: A new vegetable-headed character New garden decor Kickstarter backer artwork
If you'd like to have your say, then head over to The Garden Path's official Discord community to cast your vote ~ join the Discord here! Be sure to follow carrotcake on Twitch and Steam, if you haven't already, so you're the first to know when the stream starts: Follow on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fromcarrotcake Set a reminder on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/The_Garden_Path/ I hope to see you there, thanks for supporting The Garden Path. Until next time ~Louis * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path

[ 2021-10-14 14:34:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path has been updated to alpha0.0.33. The patch includes a number of fixes including:

• Interactions that have held-button alternative actions (such as cutting flora) now react based on when the button is released, as opposed to timers. This should make certain actions more responsive, especially on lower-end machines.
• Some polish to fishing.
• NPCs now self-correct more intelligently when roaming the map.

This patch should not affect saves. Thanks for playing! ~Louis

[ 2021-10-04 18:58:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path has been updated to alpha0.0.32c. The patch includes a number of fixes including:

• Characters now avoid obstacles as intended.
• Fixed tea stats calculations not rounding.
• Fixed some water shaders not appearing where they should.

This patch may cause some saved games with flora floating in water, but otherwise shouldn't affect playability. Thanks for playing! ~Louis

[ 2021-10-02 17:35:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Garden Path has been updated to alpha0.0.32b. The patch includes a number of fixes including:

• Fixed collision scanning on some items, including the player's tent.
• Fixed a bug resulting in yields from trees more unlikely.

This patch shouldn't affect saves. Thanks for playing! ~Louis

[ 2021-10-02 09:54:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

The months and seasons are turning, and big updates for The Garden Path are on the horizon. September has been a busy month for myself and the team (which Ill touch on in a moment), and October isnt showing any signs of slowing down. There's a lot in store and I'm eager to hear what you think, so let's jump right in.

Join me in #TGPtober

Inktober is an Autumn tradition that I've been fond of since first tackling it in 2018. Last year, I took a turn from the traditional prompts and illustrated a new vegetable headed resident every day throughout the month. Ever since The Garden Path community began to form, I've noted just how many creatives we have with us - from artists, to writers, figurine creators to book makers. So this year, I thought a fun way to build off last year's Inktober is to share a 'The Garden Path'-themed list of prompts for anyone to join in. #TGPtober is therefore designed to encompass any type of creative form, whether you want to paint, draw, photograph, write, sculpt or anything else that comes to mind. After all, this challenge is all about how you interpret these prompts. The prompts are bi-weekly as opposed to daily, a decision which will hopefully give you more time to join in and create alongside the prompts that suit you. If you want to get involved, make sure to share your work with the hashtag #TGPtober. Alternatively, if youre not comfortable posting your pieces on Twitter or Instagram then consider joining our Discord community and sharing your process there. Wherever you share your work, it might even end up in a #TGPtober gallery! Ill be getting involved myself and I cannot wait to get started and to see what you come up with!

Were going to Steam Next Fest

Seven days, hundreds of new demos, oodles of livestreams. Steam Next Fest is a multi-day celebration of upcoming games taking place from the 1st to the 7th of October, and I am thrilled to announce that The Garden Path is going to be taking part. Youll be able to get your hands on our demo, fresh with some new updates to make your gameplay experience as smooth and soothing as possible. If you've enjoyed the demo before you'll be glad to know lots of hard-work on the full game is finding its way onto the next demo for testing. Perhaps the biggest addition will be auto-saving! While I've been hard at work eliminating crashes, hiccups happen to the best of us, but now you can help test jumping right back in where you left off. Just note that the demo is the first day of the garden, and will reset when a new day dawns. I will also be taking part in a couple of special livestreams alongside The Garden Paths community manager, Alex. Well be showcasing the demo and answering any questions you may have about the game. So, be sure to come and say hi ~ youll be able to join us on:

Saturday the 2nd of October from 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST and then on Tuesday the 5th from 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 5pm BST / 6pm CEST!

Finally some bits and pieces

You may have seen that I've recently been recruiting some help - and that is all possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters and community. Ive been able to start recruiting help from collaborators so that we can reach the full vision I have for The Garden Path, all while hopefully ensuring some good work/life balance for all. As of writing this, the applications for Environment Designer have now closed, but do keep an eye open, as Im sure well be announcing a new position very soon. This isnt the only position joining me on The Garden Path, but for now mums the word. As for game development, in addition to the autosave function Ive been working on, the garden itself has seen some polish and landscaping ~ with updated water, cliffs, and even more variety of plants to discover. Mouse controls are now fleshed out and ready to play with, making the game more accessible and comfortable for those who prefer to play with mouse and keyboard. Not to mention many more small fixes, polishes and tweaks all thanks for the invaluable feedback the community has provided.
And thats all folks. Stick around for more updates on The Garden Path soon! Until next time Louis, carrotcake * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/ Wishlist us on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/ Keep up via Mastodon: https://mastodon.art/@ldurrant

[ 2021-09-30 15:38:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come join solo game dev Louis and community manager Alex live at the Steam Next Fest as they explore the garden in a newly updated demo, and answer any questions you might have along the way!

This Stream will be taking place on Saturday (October 2nd) from 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST!

If you like what you see then come back and join the pair again on Tuesday (October 5th) at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 5pm GMT / 6pm CEST ~ sign up for the event here The Garden Path is an atmospheric slice-of-life sim where you'll brew tea, go fishing for songfish, tend to your garden and who knows? Maybe youll make a new friend! Cant wait for Saturday? The demo will be available to play as soon as Steam Next Fest kicks off this Friday! Happy gardening~ Want to stay in touch? Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/

[ 2021-09-27 13:07:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come join solo game dev Louis and community manager Alex live at the Steam Next Fest as they explore the garden in a newly updated demo, and answer any questions you might have along the way!

Catch this stream on Tuesday (October 5th) from 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 5pm GMT / 6pm CEST!

But worry not, if you can't wait until then you'll be able to find the pair live on Saturday (October 2nd) showcasing The Garden Path from 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST ~ sign up for the stream here! The Garden Path is an atmospheric slice-of-life sim where you'll brew tea, go fishing for songfish, tend to your garden and who knows? Maybe youll make a new friend! Cant wait for Saturday? The demo will be available to play as soon as Steam Next Fest kicks off this Friday! Happy gardening~ Want to stay in touch? Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Check out our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fromcarrotcake Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromcarrotcake/

[ 2021-09-27 13:07:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

I hope you're all doing well. This is only a short update from me as I wanted to let you know that this Friday I will be going live with another Art Stream on Twitch and, for the first time, Steam! I'll be joined with my streaming partner in crime, Crakie, and so I'm sure many art-related shenanigans will be in store (though we can't promise any more banana-related antics this time).
If you've enjoyed watching me work then come along to see some more. There might also be a little more in-game demonstration this time too, you'll get a look at the latest demo update prior to its release. And as ever, this is the perfect opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about my design process, The Garden Path, or its development. We'll be going live from 8am PST / 11am EDT / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST! Be sure to follow carrotcake on Twitch and Steam, if you haven't already, so you're the first to know when the stream starts:

Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fromcarrotcake Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/The_Garden_Path/

I do hope to see you there, and once again thank you so much for your continual support. Until next time ~Louis * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/

[ 2021-09-01 14:14:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi all, just pushed this latest version which expands mouse support across the game, as well as other bug fixes and stability tunings. + Player movement can now be made with the mouse by left clicking and dragging in the direction you want to move. Actions can be made by right clicking + New 'Dash' UI element allows opening other UI elements with the mouse, and also provides control reminders. + Character dialogue now supports mouse controls. + Most system menus and options now support mouse control. + Various camera tunes. + Inventory stability fixes. + Fixed item duplicate/deletion bug when trading with items in the overflow. Note that the new game screen, stars and quantity selector are yet to support mouse controls. Thanks as always for your feedback and support. ~Louis

[ 2021-08-31 19:58:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello gardeners,

What a tumultuous couple of weeks we've had. It's hard to believe the Kickstarter campaign is wrapped up and behind us - but thanks to the earnest support of every backer and follower, there's now plenty more to come. In case you missed it, during our 30 days on Kickstarter we not only hit full funding but also both of our stretch goals! And so The Garden Path will be both coming to Nintendo Switch and will offer Local Multiplayer. Overall 1,097 backers pledged 30,474 to help this game blossom. It's an incredible achievement that wouldn't have been possible without you, whether or not you were in a position to back the game, you have my thanks.

See You at the Future Games Show!

As the title of this update suggests, I am happy to announce that The Garden Path will be featured in The Future Games Show at this year's Gamescom! With the show back online this year, GamesRadar presents The Future Games Show will be taking place TODAY (Thursday, August 26) at 13:00 PDT / 16:00 EDT / 21:00 BST / 22:00 CEST. I can't wait to share The Garden Path to a new audience and, hopefully, I'll see you there. Tune in tonight at twitch.tv/gamesradar ~ youtube.com/GamesRadar ~ twitter.com/GamesRadar

And Finally...Some Demo News

While the Kickstarter is over, the demo continues to live on. In fact, you'll even be able to access the demo via Steam from the 26th of August. This will help us get The Garden Path to as many people as possible and will give you a whole new toolset in experiencing the game. You'll be able to share screenshots, chat in the community hub, and more. So, keep your eyes open for that, and be sure to share your gardening journey! Thank you again for your support for The Garden Path. If you haven't yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow ~ adding it to your Steam Wishlist is an easy, quick, and incredibly valuable way to help indie developers! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path Until next time * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake

[ 2021-08-26 13:50:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome back gardeners,

I am overjoyed to announce that The Garden Path hit full funded over the weekend, and with still some days to spare! The Garden Path started out as a passion project, but seeing it grow and reach each milestone, it's clear that it's grown beyond just me and its small beginnings. The support youve lent The Garden Path has been endlessly encouraging and its been wonderful seeing this community grow and come together. I hope you'll continue to join me along the game's development into the coming months. I could never have imagined The Garden Path would garner this kind of response, its an endless encouragement. At the risk of once again sounding like a broken record - thank you.

Whats next for The Garden Path?

While there are just several days left until The Garden Path leaves Kickstarter, there's still time to take things a little bit further with a stretch goal. And I think it's one you'll be excited to see: a Nintendo Switch version of The Garden Path! This stretch goal will be unlocked at 25,000, and will make this cozy game even cozier as youll be able to play it tucked up in bed, maybe with your own home-brewed tea to hand. Just note that I can only guarantee Steam/Itch.io copies of the game as part of backer rewards. What if this stretch goal isn't met? The Nintendo Switch is a great fit for The Garden Path and I'd love to bring the game to the platform someday. But if (or when) this happens, can't be guaranteed.
You can find and follow the Kickstarter with the link here. For now though, thank you again for getting us to 100% funding. This is all down to your support, and I am indebted to each one of you. Lets see what we can do in the next few days! Until next time * Follow us on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake Follow us on TikTok: @fromcarrot cake Follow us on Twitch: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow!

[ 2021-08-16 09:13:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome back! I am happy to announce that, just two weeks since we launched, we have passed 75% funding on Kickstarter! I wanted to thank you once again - to be at this point in the project and already so close to hitting that main goal is endlessly encouraging, and wouldn't be possible without the support of each and every wishlishter, backer, and supporter. Please continue to spread the word about The Garden Path if you can! It remains one of the best ways to bring more people to the game, especially now when we're on that home stretch for the main goal.
You can find and follow the Kickstarter with the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path-a-hand-illustrated-slice-of-life-sim-game

You can see how the project is doing and which rewards are still available - but I must report that the one-of-a-kind ceramic models kindly being crafted by my Mum are now all gone! Ive already updated the demo a handful of times with fixes over the past two weeks, many of which Ive been able to find and debug thanks to your help sharing notes on the Discord. If youve had a chance to play the demo, thank you - I really appreciate you checking it out and hope you enjoyed your time in The Garden. And if you havent played the demo yet, there's still plenty of time to download and give it a try. Either way, if you have any thoughts or questions, be sure to send them my way. If you haven't yet joined our Discord community and want to share your experience with the demo or just say hi then find us here:

https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU

Thanks again for reading, sharing and supporting The Garden Path. Whether you've been able to back the game or not, I hope you'll join me on this last stretch ~ To 100%! Until next time * Follow us on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow!

[ 2021-08-05 17:37:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome back to the Steam community and, yes, The Garden Path is live on Kickstarter now! As mentioned in my last update, there's been a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes setting this all up, so I hope you enjoy everything we have to show! If all goes well, this campaign will be a big step in eventually bringing The Garden Path to new platforms and new places, allowing even more folk to enjoy and experience the game. Should the opportunity arise, your support will also go to making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible, and give it that extra layer of polish.
You can find and follow the Kickstarter with the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path

Here you can read about the campaigns story, learn more about how your support will help, and back The Garden Path should you wish. There are some neat rewards on offer, from prints and pins - and I've even got my Mum working her magic on one-of-a-kind ceramic models that you can pick up. Perhaps even bigger news -- you can now begin to uncover the garden and meet some residents in an early test demo, available to play right now! It's a snapshot of what's available in the game, but hopefully it will give a feeling of what's yet to come, and you can always share your experiences, thoughts, or report any bugs in The Garden Path discord ~ I'll be there responding to as many as I can. https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU
Thank you for reading and for supporting The Garden Path! Whether or not youre in a position to back the game on Kickstarter, your engagement and excitement alone are always hugely appreciated. Expect more updates (and Kickstarter news) to come! Until then... * Follow us on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake And if you havent yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow!

[ 2021-07-21 15:36:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome back to the Steam community! Strange to think its been over a month since the official announcement of The Garden Path--its been a whirlwind and your support so far has been an invaluable encouragement. But, now, there's even more to come just around the corner: The Garden Path is coming to Kickstarter! This is something thats been in the works, behind the scenes, for a little while now, and Im thrilled to finally reveal this next step for the game. The Garden Path has grown so much over the years and, after some deliberation, I really believe crowdfunding will give the game a better shot at being accessible to many more people who would want to play.
For now you'll have to wait until the page goes live to hear more about the projects story and goals, but all support will be going towards getting additional help in polishing the game, so its as good as it can be when you get your hands on it and that as many peoplecan get their hands on it... Head to the pre-launch page and you can give it a follow to be one of the first to know when the campaign goes live (there's even some neat, limited rewards that that will be on offer).
Before I wrap up, I wanted to share with you the new notification system I was recently working on for the game, in case you missed it elsewhere. It consolidates a number of information points that arise throughout the game, so its easy to see everything important. It's navigable anytime using the D-Pad or Arrows Keys so long as you aren't using other UI elements and, since the visuals go through varying stages of presence depending on use, the game-view remains uncluttered. I think it's quite intuitive. It's since become an integral part of the game, a place for advice, learning more, and building a greater sense of what's happening in the garden around you.
Im pleased with how silky smooth it turned out! * Thank you so much for reading, and I hope youre as excited for the Kickstarter as I am. Stick around for more updates on The Garden Path and the Kickstarter campaign. Until then... * Follow us on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromcarrotcake/the-garden-path Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake And if you haven't yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow!

[ 2021-07-14 13:16:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there and welcome to our Steam community! Im Louis Durrant, the sole developer of The Garden Path. This project has been a labour of love for me for some years now, and Im very proud of how far it has come in that time. As this is my first post here, it felt only fitting to welcome you to the garden and explain a little about how the world works behind the scenes. So, without further ado, welcome to the garden...
Deciding how big the garden should be was more difficult than I had anticipated. I want players to feel like there's a thrill to exploring, but that they'll soon have it mapped roughly in their heads. To have curated the entire space should be a tremendous challenge, but most players should feel content that they have shaped a corner of the garden to their liking.
Originally, I had intended on having the world be entirely randomly generated so that every gardener had a completely unique place to explore. In the end, I settled on making the garden a collection of different acres (randomly generated puzzle pieces). Some acres will be more interesting than others, while some will be rarer. Each, however, should offer something new to uncover. With this system, players who enjoy rebooting and rebuilding their garden might experience some deja-vu, but ultimately will be met with a fresh new world to explore each time. Meanwhile, players dedicated to their original garden can continue to explore, expand, and enjoy the environments.
Every acre is approximately 9 screen sizes, and every garden is made up of 36 acres. Its pretty big. As is the most important metric: running from one side of the map to the other certainly takes a fair bit of time. But with flora and fauna to examine, as well as charming characters to chat to on the way, players will feel satisfied in finding something new every time. * My goal for The Garden Path was to create a game where players could have a tranquil space to kick back in, feel safe, and get lost in their garden. With this system in place, I think the garden will be a cozy and comfortable home-away-from-home. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about the garden. Expect more updates to follow as I continue working on The Garden Path. Until then... * Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nWTg5WvZbU Follow us on Twitter: @fromcarrotcake And if you haven't yet, please consider giving The Garden Path a wishlist and a follow!

[ 2021-06-03 09:48:49 CET ] [ Original post ]