Experience life as a stray doggo in Lost Paws, the open world survival game! Explore the colorful world of Doggo City as you bonk, bark, dig, and pee your way through life. Customize your dog with special items and learn new skills to help you find your missing human. Navigate the complexities of human-doggo relations as you make new friends or enemies in the world. It is up to you to find your way home and be the kind of doggo you always wanted to!
Hello Dog Lovers!
Today is the big day! As part of our long-range upgrades and transformation of Lost Paws, we have our first massive update out now. This update is focused on many quality-of-life changes, a graphics and environment upgrade, and most importantly a complete overhaul to the UI. We have been so excited to share all of this with you and can't wait to get into the details!
The quality-of-life changes can be chunked into two broad categories: new things and improvements.
For new things, we added 3 new vehicles including a van that is jumpable, a taxi, and a blue sedan. In fact, the cars are now easier to get on because of some collider changes we made. You can see a sample of it here:
Another new system we added is IK for the doggo! Inverse Kinematics (IK) allows us to give targets for specific sections of the doggo’s body while he is doing things. In our case, the focus was on the head of the doggo which allows our good boy to look at things he wants and at people. We also have foot IK allowing the doggo’s feet to shift to match the ground.
For the improvement side, the biggest in my humble opinion is better bonking physics. We now consider the direction and relative velocity of the bonk to make the ragdolls fall over according to where they were hit and how hard. This extends to using the balls as projectiles too! You can see a sample of the improved bonking here:
A final note on the improvements is adjustments we made to doggo’s walk and animation speeds. Doggo’s stride now has more stompy power and feels more grounded.
Here is a comprehensive list of all the Quality-of-Life Changes:
The next significant improvement we added to Lost Paws was a graphical upgrade to the boundary of the town. We now use new shader techniques to create a seamless or near seamless edge thanks to some creative tricks using multi-layered materials. This process will remove hard boundaries and have fewer things drag your eye away from doggo! You can see a sample of it at work here:
We also added stochastic anti-tiling to the grass throughout the town. By doing that, we have removed the patterns in the grass to give it a more natural look, making those gardens feel even more beautiful. In addition, the parking lot also received texture modifications to work more seamlessly with the roads.
Lastly, we also made some minor art modifications around the edges of the town like more grass and concrete barriers. We removed most of the edging and replaced it with a seamless look so you can focus more on the chaos having fun with doggo.
Here is a comprehensive list of all the graphical improvements:
So now is time for the most massive change! Every UI panel and element is now different. Nothing was left unturned, and everything received a graphical upgrade at a minimum and a functional improvement at a maximum. Broadly speaking there are two types of changes made. The first is the preexisting UI upgrades and the second is the additions to the HUD.
For the UI upgrades, the primary thought was to enhance our visual hierarchy and make the whole thing easier to read and more enjoyable to look at. To accomplish this, we decided on a modified color scheme, added gradients and shadows, resized and repositioned the panels, and added effects to highlight valuable information and make things easier on the eyes. Some of the panels got a complete rework to make them sleeker and clearer. For example, the Skill Tree line work was completely redone. Every panel now has these upgrades a sample of which can be seen here:
All our panels are now repositioned to the center to have a consistent place to look at them all. We have also decided to use specific colors in the UI to help its visual language. Colors like blue now serve as the background with green for status info and red for critical info. We thinned the lining of the panels to reduce their size and make them sleeker. We also used near-color gradients with a new palette to both unify the color scheme of the UI and make them more pleasing to stare at. All these changes aim to make the UI more compact, prettier, and easier to parse.
We also added new panels! The Menu Hub and the Quest Log are now up and running. Both will aid in making the game easier to understand and play by providing a convenient way to access info. The Menu Hub now acts as a universal connection between all our menus giving you easy access to any panel at the push of a single button. The Quest Log is also helpful allowing you to see what to do next to progress the story. It can be referenced anywhere and gives additional background to the current mission. You can see a sample of the Quest Log here:
We felt these panels were critical to get in because it was becoming difficult to remember every keybinding for the growing number of menus. We also wanted to lower the mental load in memorizing things like tasks and give a few hints on how to accomplish certain objectives. With both panels, we wanted players to focus on playing the doggo rather than having a lack of information get in the way.
For the HUD, our goal was to make our systems more understandable and give more information so everyone can make informed decisions. Firstly, the layout of the HUD was redesigned to make it easier to read and include more details. For example, the Vitals Gauges (Health, Hunger, and Thirst) now flash to alert you when any of them are below 20.
The HUD now has areas designated for certain pieces of information. The top center is for major alerts like if a dogcatcher is chasing you. Below the mini-map is a Notification Log for general actions like when you pick up an item. On the bottom right corner, a new keymap legend is now there to help remind you of all the important shortcuts. The locations name pop-up is now above the Vital Gauges allowing us to do it more frequently without being too distracting. On the left of the screen, we now have new status icons to give valuable info about things in the world such as if you detect something to sniff nearby or if you are in a no-stealing zone. The Mission Log has been completely revamped using new colors (green and white for highlighting purposes) and better-sized text. Lastly, we have also changed the interaction tooltip at the center of the screen using green to highlight it and making it smaller allowing us to present more options on what you can do. All these new HUD elements also received general improvements to the rest of the UI including shadowing, color coding, and gradients where appropriate.
A sample of many of these new elements can be seen here:
The last major change we wanted to focus on was the map itself. The Mini-Map now has red dots that indicate when there is a threat chasing you. While this is helpful, the biggest change was to the map itself. For the World and Mini-Map, the map was completely remade from the ground up. It now has an isometric view making it accurate across the map and is also higher resolution making it much clearer especially zoomed in.
All these changes to the HUD serve one goal of making the game more understandable. In our testing and feedback, we kept seeing players having fun but missing much of the game's functionality or unsure what to do next. We wanted to ensure everything was discoverable without forcing anyone into anything or changing the balancing. The problem became more accentuated when we started to play test the game without audio revealing we needed more visual support for things in the game. The answer to the problem for us was in information and by adding new HUD elements and overhauling the other parts of the UI, we believed we have come a long way to accomplishing that goal.
Here is a comprehensive list of all the graphical improvements:
Thank you for reading about our first major update of Lost Paws for this year! The next one will be even more massive so stay tuned. If you want to get access to the next update early sign up for the beta here. All are welcome to join. You can also check out Lost Paws here. Thanks again for reading and see you in the next one!
With 2023 now solidly behind us, we wanted to talk about our big plans for the game as we rev up development for Lost Paws this year.
We have released two new updates this month 0.6.9 and 0.7.0. Some highlights include updated controller support, improved physics for certain objects...
The Winter Update (0.6.8) for Lost Paws is now out and part of the Steam Winter Sale!
๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ๐พ๐ฎ๐๐ถ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ "๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐" ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ? ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ "๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐":
The game's portrayal of the life of a stray dog invites analysis through different lenses.
๐ญ. ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐:
๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐๐พ๐ฉโ๐ป๐จ - Donna Haraway's work on cyborgs and the blurring of boundaries between human and animal is relevant to "Lost Paws." The game challenges traditional notions of identity and agency, inviting players to embody a canine perspective and navigate the complexities of human-dog interactions.
๐. ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ:
๐๐ค๐๐ก๐คฏ - Jane McGonigal, a proponent of using games for positive impact, might appreciate "Lost Paws" for its potential to foster empathy. The game encourages players to understand the challenges faced by stray animals, promoting a compassionate view of the world from a dog's point of view.
๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ค๐ฅ๐:
๐ญ๐๐๐๏ธ๐๏ธ๐ป๐ญ๐๐ค - Sherry Turkle's exploration of human-technology relationships could be applied to the player's immersion in the digital world of "Lost Paws." The game prompts reflection on the evolving nature of our connection to virtual environments and how it shapes our perceptions and behaviors.
๐. ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐
๐ฒ๐ค๐ญ๐ค๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐คฏ๐ - Richard Bartle's player types theory could be used to analyze how different players approach "Lost Paws." The game's open-world design allows for a spectrum of playstyles, from those focused on exploration and discovery to others emphasizing social interactions with in-game characters.
๐ฑ. ๐๐๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ:
๐ฌ๐ฝ๐โ๐ฆบ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ฎ - Judith Butler's gender performativity theory, while not directly related to gaming, can be applied metaphorically to the game's exploration of identity. Players engage in the performance of a dog's life, challenging normative expectations and questioning the nature of gameplay itself.
๐ฒ. ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐น:
๐๐ป๐พ๐น๏ธ๐ - Jesper Juul's work on the "half-real" nature of video game environments is relevant to understanding the partially procedurally based design of "Lost Paws." The combination of pre-determined elements and dynamic, procedurally generated content creates a unique and engaging player experience.
๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐๐ป๐๐พ๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ As the gaming landscape continues to evolve, "๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐" stands out not only as a captivating indie game but also as a cultural artifact that prompts interdisciplinary discussions. ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ.
Cute doggo!^^