#if i could choose my own name i’d like it to be ‘coelacanth’

[deus-ex-mona]

rage is a ✨way of life✨

[mythaura-blog]

Hey all! Welcome to our December development update. Here is what lies under the cut.

What’s new

NPCs on Mythaura

New Monsters and New Item Patreon Illustrations

FAQ

Community spotlight

This month, we have been working on basic back end set up. Login and register systems are currently being built and tested. We’ve had some continuous trouble with our current server, so we’ve found it best for development to move to a new server. We’re currently in the process of shifting everything over - there may be some downtime on the Beast Demo, we will give everyone a heads up on our social media channels when that time comes!

On the topic of the Demo - we are planning some new and exciting usability features for Demo V3. • Link generation for sharing After creating a Beast, a link will be generated. The link will be a url to your creation. You can also import a link from another creation. • Lock and unlock options Options can be locked and unlocked by clicking the lock symbol. This will ensure your option will not change even when clicking randomize. • Shift Special order Shift Special options by moving the arrows. This will change the layering order of Specials without having to choose options again, making it easier to customize.

• Loading animation A simple loading animation to appear before the Beasts image is generated. Some other additions would be an "Age" option which changes the Beasts base to the Young Base or the Grown Base. And the categorization of the Base area and Special Markings area so it's a little easier to tell options apart.

The young bases for the three starter Beasts - Dragon, Griffin and Unicorn have been completed. We are planning to have all Young bases and their 125 colors and the current catalog of Special Markings available for the next Demo V3 update.

The Hybrid bases are being worked on and will be ready for the next demo update - here are the sketches for the young Quetzal, Hippogriff and Kirin!

We’ll have news very soon about when Demo V3 will drop. For now, I can share that work has started on the next Hybrid Beasts. Here is a quick sneak peak.

Every shop you visit in Mythaura is run by a shopkeep. These shopkeepers have their own unique personalities, quests and dialogue. They will interact with you, the player, through dialogue boxes. Some moments will give you different options to respond to the NPC and the NPCs portrait will change to different expressions depending on their mood and dialogue. For example; if a player hands in a completed quest, the NPC portrait will change to a pleased expression. Each character will play a large role within the story and game play.

This month our amazing Tier 3+ supporters on Patreon voted in a poll to choose the first NPC players will interact with on site out of three options. Acting as a tutorial guide, they will welcome the player into the world, introduce them to the currency, explain factions, walk players through creating their first Beast and finally leading them into the full game. This is an early look at the Mythaura “Welcome” NPC!

“A cheerful elderly Quetzal. He is a travelling merchant who sells interesting items he found while on the road. His bird is his best bud.”

Next month, patrons will decide on the Quetzal Traveller’s coloring, define their personality, their shop and their name. We’ll have more to share on the NPC system and other characters that will feature in Mythaura soon!

Tier 4 and 5 Patreon rewards have the opportunity to work with the artists to create their own Monsters and Items that will appear in-game. Here are the illustrations that have been created this month. Many thanks to our incredibly creative supporters! Monsters: Lunar Bone Thief - Created with Fizzywits Vitterfolk - Created with Malis (Work in progress! The Vitterfolk’s final illustration will be completed soon)

Items: Crystallion - Created with Aku Reine Plushie - Created with TwinFishes Coelacanth - Created with Frillshark Pahoehoe Flower -  Created with Mezzo

FAQ

So many pet games have been ruined by multi accounts, botters & scammers. I'd like to know what your policies will be on these since I am wary of investing in another site that doesn't have the staff or motivation to keep a clean playing field for all. - Anonymous

Those are completely valid concerns. As with any multiplayer online game, there will inevitability be those who will exploit it in some way or another. We will take our security and code of conduct very seriously, any player found violating that will be restricted or banned.

How many times can you create a beast from scratch? Only when you first join or are there other ways to do so? (Through an item for example) - Anonymous

You will create your first Beast upon joining Mythaura - a Dragon, Griffin or Unicorn. You’ll be able to choose any of the 125 colors on the wheel to customize their Base, Bottom and Top areas on their bodies. At the moment, this will be the only time you will be able to create a Beast from scratch. We are definitely not ruling out any other options! At this point it’s too early to say for sure.

Will there be a way to keep beasts as their 'baby' forms? - katjoyy

Yes! I realize that some people might prefer the young Beast artworks to their grown versions. There will be a method in the game to keep them from growing up - whether through consumable items or another means.

I know there is crowd funding, but will you be using Kickstarter at any point? I am more familiar with them, as I feel many are, and would rather fund through there (Dappervolk Funded within Hours.. or minuets??) I'd love to know, thanks! - bobbybi

Our first priority before planning the final crowdfunding push is delivering on an alpha and beta. We are 100% focused on building Mythaura the best it can be now and our Patreon is helping out a great deal to reach that goal.  

I love Mythaura so much already, I can't explain it in words! I can't wait to see it reach it's max potential. I just wanted to know if there would be a feeding or age mechanic that would cause your creature to pass on eventually. I only ask, because I dislike the game mechanic cause death is no fun. - Anonymous

Thank you so much! Your support means the world  ❤ There will be no death mechanic. We expect players to put a lot of time and effort into customizing their Beasts and it would feel like a waste to have them pass on eventually. Rest easy knowing that your Beasts will be immortal.

In the future, would you be open to beast/monster/item suggestions from users? - Anonymous

We are always open to suggestions! I am actively listening on all our social media channels. I take any and all suggestions to heart and note them down. But if you’re super eager to have your ideas made into reality, Tier 4 and 5 Patreon rewards can have their suggestions made into actual items in-game. 

Okay so, you're making a Virtual Pet game. What do you have planned that will set you apart from other games like Flight Rising and even Neopets? I see the graphics are looking good, but do you have something else new that you intend to bring to the table with this? - formerlybees

As a long time fan and player of virtual pet games, I can say that we have a number of new ideas we are planning to bring into the genre. Some ideas inspired by other virtual pet games and some inspired by other MMOs. We have some incredibly ambitious ideas planned out that I wish I could tell you about, but we need to see if we can actually build them and get it all working! 

Hi, I'm very curious as to what you look for in a portfolio for artists/writers? I'm very new to submitting portfolios and unfortunately art school doesn't really teach you this sort of thing. Thanks in advance! - rexcaliburr

For Mythaura specifically - Artists that show pieces with 2D cel-shaded style similar to our own and demonstrate cohesive anatomy for animal-like creatures. Just a couple of their best polished pieces will deliver the best first impression!  For writers, a small section of writing that best showcases your creative flair and perhaps links to your previous works if any. 

For artists, I recommend checking out the Dear Art Director tumblr. It’s helped me out a lot personally when I was freelancing.

Any update on best boy reine's final art work? - twinfishieslove

No update as of yet! You’ll have to gaze upon his glorious mugshot for now.

(In all seriousness, the Beast bases come first and are rather time consuming!)

Hey grif! Which, personally, if your favourite species - dragondrawsdragons

Hmm, good question. I’m rather partial to my namesake. Who can’t not love a half bird of prey, half lion?! I’ll give an honorable mention to Hippogriffs, albatross ponies are fun too. 

Our community feature for this month is showcasing the artistic talents of the Mythaura Discord community. Check it out!

I wish I could fit more in! I am so impressed by the art I get to see there almost everyday. It’s an absolute treat.

Every month we will be showcasing some community creations. If you’d like to share your Mythaura inspired artworks, make sure to tag them with  #mythaura on both Tumblr and Twitter. We’d love to see them.

If you would like to chat with other members of the community and members of the Mythaura team - Click here to join us on the official Mythaura Discord!

That’s it for this month. To finish, I’ll leave you with this super adorable sketch of a Beast family drawn by the very talented Luci!

Have a happy new year!

❤ Grif