Posted March 06, 2026 by marcomeijer
In today's devlog, we will share some details about how the tutorial update came to be. Afterwards, we will discuss some future update plans.
Here are some rules that we tried to follow to improve it:
1. It shouldn’t have too much text. Newcomers don’t like reading and often skip it if they see a lot of text on the screen at once. That’s also why we don’t have Quill at the start, because introducing a character requires extra dialog.
2. You should be encouraged to figure out stuff for yourself. Being told what buttons to press makes it more likely for someone to blindly follow instructions without learning what they are doing.
3. Popup messages should be adaptive to the player's actions. For example, only show certain hints if the player is taking too long to figure something out. That way veteran players might not even know these messages exist, while beginners who are struggling get the help they need.
4. The initial tutorial should provide only the essential knowledge required to play the game. We shouldn’t teach things that players will only need an hour later.
For many gamers, when they think of a "tutorial," they think of the one at the very beginning of the game. But as a game designer, when I think of tutorials, I also think of all the other teaching moments you encounter during your time playing. In that way, the main quest line also functions as a tutorial. It guides you through the game and lets you learn the basic mechanics, although the lack of dialog makes it feel less tutorial-like.
Another example would be the little popup messages we added with this update. If you mine diamond ore with a golden pickaxe, the game will tell you, “Golden tools trade block drops for shards!" If you use a realm key on the realm entrance, a popup says, “Keys can only be used on wooden doors." Similarly, if you use a world key without any crystals in your inventory, a warning popup will appear. These were all considered common mistakes beginners would make.
But it doesn’t stop there! We also improved some shop descriptions. This is because the in-game shop is actually a great place to put part of your tutorial, and it all has to do with the player psychology: They are very likely to read the shop descriptions to find the best item to spend their hard-earned crystal shards on.
We also hope that the new guest system will bring in more players. Some people won’t even try the game if they have to make an account first... But if they are able to play as a guest, they are much more likely to sign up once they spend a few hours playing.
Farming
You can expect 1 or 2 more updates before the farming release. Excluding a few last-minute additions, all the art is already made. Now what’s left to be done is mostly coding and balancing.
One of the mechanics that still needs to be coded is the happiness meter for farm animals. We want to add a system that encourages players to take excellent care of their cattle. You should be rewarded for giving them enough walking space, petting them daily, and feeding them consistently. The happier your cows (and other farm animals) are, the faster they will produce milk.
We hope that these features will encourage players to build a nice-looking home for their cows instead of just putting them inside a small box. It might also make the cows feel more alive, less like they are just machines that turn wheat into milk.
Now, about farming profit: A few of you have been wondering how you will earn crystal shards from farming. The main way is by selling your crops (or animal products) to one of the two new NPCs. Meet the first of the two, Hazel:
She will be found in the Crystal Hub, where she’ll sell crop seeds and buy your produce. Unlike her sister, she is always daydreaming and doesn’t seem to enjoy… working.
We are also considering adding that harvesting or watering crops will give you a few shards too. Getting shards from these activities could make the process more satisfying.
The next update
In the last devlog, we revealed that the next update will add a brand-new mechanic. What we can reveal for now is that it has something to do with bees! Think of this bee-related update as a small taste of what the farming update will have to offer.
It will likely BEE released slightly later than usual, as we have been focusing primarily on farming, but it should come out within a week.