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Echoes of the Plum Grove is Officially OUT!

Posted April 30, 2024 by Unwound Games

 

We are officially live as of yesterday at 9am April 29th 2024! Thank you all so much for your patience. This game has taken us 6 years to launch and we cannot be happier seeing everyone enjoying the game. If you'd like to follow us more closely, please join our Discord channel (located on the top bar of this website and it's the farthest icon to the right). We as the devs are always there to answer any questions. We also have a bug thread there for you to post on if you run into problems with the game.

You can buy the game on our main page by clicking in the steam link right at the top. Thanks again everyone and happy playing!

 
 

Kickstarter Ended – Happy New Year!

Posted December 30, 2023 by Unwound Games

 

We have had a lot going on with our Kickstarter ended and our beta users beginning to play so I apologize for not posting sooner. But, we reached our financial goal and many stretch goals!

We will make sure to add all stretch goals to the game, most likely after launch (though all the food and collectibles are already in!)

For now we are continuing getting as much content into the game as possible. Make sure to follow us on Discord to get the most latest updates on our game progress! It's where we spend most of our time as the devs answering questions.

As for right now we are enjoying the holidays, continuing to work, and getting amazing help from our beta testers.

So, we wish everyone a great new years! Next year for us is going to be absolutely bonkers as we hope to launch in the early half of 2024! 5+ years of work is coming to an end!

 
 

Launching Kickstarter on October 31st

Posted October 28, 2023 by Unwound Games

 

Our Kickstarter is launching on the spoopiest day of the year - Halloween! We've got great things in store for this little game, so get excited & stay tuned for more details!

Click here to be notified when we launch!

 
 

Demo Live until September 4th

Posted September 1, 2023 by Unwound Games

Our demo is now LIVE on Steam!

The demo will only be live until September 4th, so if you want to get a sneak peak at what our game will play like, download the demo now on Steam!

Weddings And Funerals

Posted August 25, 2023 by Unwound Games

NPCs can marry, die, and make decisions

We had to delay posting this due to work over-loading us, but here it is! We wanted to focus on NPCs living lives a part from the player to give a sense of immersion to experience. We gave our NPC's living, breathing decisions that change with every playthrough.

Weddings were big during the colonial period

Weddings and funerals were a big part of social life back then, so we made sure to get both events in the game for the player to experience. No nasty cut-scenes to break apart your experience either! We are leaving it entirely up to you on what to do... even if that is proposing at someone else's wedding!

We also wanted to make sure other NPC's could experience the joy of marriage as well. So on your way to the town hall, you'll probably spot a mass of people dropping whatever they were doing just to attend, whether they were in school or working.

Death is a part of life

The funeral event was tricky as we always wanted to expand upon our graveyard and create a groundskeeper in charge of burying the dead and hosting funerals. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was one of the first games I played as a kid and I always enjoyed heading over to the graveyard to check out Dampe - the graveyard keeper. Although it would be amazing to turn this into a proper profession for NPC's, we decided to keep the event simple for now, but still very memorable.
 
Make sure to keep in contact with your friends and loved ones as you never know when their time will be up. However, we still made it possible to be enemies with people, so there will always be that one person who is glad someone died...or who's dressed incorrectly at the funeral itself. Other NPC's might not like it though and reprimand you. You just never know!
 
We will try and post in line with our steam page for the next post. Make sure to follow us on our socials or on Steam just in case. More to come soon!

The Lighthouse Keepers

Posted July 26, 2023 by Unwound Games

The keepers, Jane and Luna Mcbelle

They have been watching over Thistlestone Island for most of their lives. They dutifully watch over and manage their beloved lighthouse while also having their own side hustle!

Gardening is important...

Being both avid gardeners, they relied on their love for growing flowers like lavender that in turn became their business. They sell all things lavender, but also rely on their foraging skills to create lantern oil from bayberries that grow along the shoreline. You can find them tending their garden and collecting nearby.

They also sell unique items

They sell unique items such as purple dye, collected from lavender, as well as jam amongst things they've scavenged along the beaches. Summer is their busiest season.
 
Since the lighthouse is a bit of a walk for most of the village, you can find them selling their wares in town square during Sunday market day. When they aren't busy tending to the lighthouse or running the shop, they are diligently raising their adopted son, Wilbur.

The views are spectacular

You can also sometimes find Luna at the edge of the property at night, silently watching the moon rise as nighttime encapsulates the island. She loves watching the stars come out after a long day of work. The lighthouse is one of the prettiest places on Thistlestone Island.

Progression of Farm Animals

Posted June 25, 2023 by Unwound Games

We officially have all farm animals working!

Another update we are excited about! I started working on farm animals years ago as it was one of the first things I designed. It is such a huge relief to finally see them all come to life. Above is one of the earliest shots I have. We didn't have animation working yet, but I needed them in the space to check on sizing.
 
You can adopt cows, chickens, geese, goats, sheep, and pigs. All come with baby versions, which is so adorable. We made sure to make separate animations for the adult and baby versions. Some animals can be milked which can then be refined into cheese or butter. Sheep can be sheered which will give you fluff to then be refined into yarn and then even further into wool.

Animals can also be butchered

Most cozy games focus on just the items you obtain from animals but we wanted to give you the option of butchering them for meat. Since our game is hunger based, it was important to make sure we had a wide variety of ingredients, and this included meat. Both meat and oil are highly prized in the game just like they were back in colonial period.

Though I know many will struggle with relinquishing their beloved farm animals, back in the 1700's it was very common to raise animals purely to be slaughtered. They will all eventually die of old age, so you can still choose to butcher or allow them to die naturally.

More to come...

So far, we have flying birds working (crows, pigeons and seagulls) as well as now all farm animals! There will be many more to come, some that will surprise you. We haven't put in nocturnal animals yet, or forest critters but they will be put in soon enough!
 
There are lots more updates to come so make sure to wishlist the game, join our discord, or follow us on our social channels. As we mentioned in an earlier post, we will also be on Kickstarter! If you want to be among the first notified of it launching later this year, make sure to follow the campaign!

Kickstarter Teaser

Posted May 27, 2023 by Unwound Games

Hi everyone! A later post as we've been pretty busy with content and I hadn't gotten to posting this announcement on our website yet. But we will be creating a Kickstarter campaign in Fall! This will be a chance for you to show support and help us accomplish more for our game before it launches next year in 2024. 

 

I'll be posting again soon with a longer post about what we've been up to, for now it's just an announcement. 

NEW Character Customization options!

Posted April 26, 2023 by Unwound Games

We have more character customization than ever before. New skin tones, hair colors, styles, and more.

Because we have a forever changing village with new people coming and going every week, we wanted to make as many customizations as possible. Clothing is a big one and we went ahead and customized all 70 outfits to be dyed 10 different colors each. That's 700 options for clothing along with new hats, shoes, glasses, and facial hair. 

We also added in 9 different hair colors (no un-natural colors unfortunately, we might add this in the future but for now we tried to stick to the time period), we even have grey hair that pops up as an option when you become an elder. Along with hair, you have have facial hair that ranges from a stubble look, to a full on pirate like beard. 

Unique NPCs

We also will have some unique NPCs where the majority of their outfit won't be for sale or dye-able however each comes with an article of clothing that they might gift to you or you can buy it from them. There are now lots of possibilities!

More to come...

We will continue to update you as we progress though some things we will have to keep hidden (lots of secrets!). We are currently working on adding in as many events throughout the seasons as possible (some more...magical than others). Make sure to wishlist Echoes of the Plum Grove on Steam, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more daily updates. Cheers everyone!

Long Overdue Update

Posted March 25, 2023 by Unwound Games

So much has happened...and much more to come!

I know it's been wayyy too long since we've released an update but bear with us! We have been making a LOT of progress on the game. So much in fact, a big update: We found a publisher! This was a huge relief as this lifted a big weight off our shoulders. They have started to help us out in lots of ways, the biggest one is marketing. As first time game-makers, we really don't have a good grasp on how to sell ourselves well, being mostly invisible, so having them partner up with us has definitely helped us out. We now can just focus on the game! Apart from finding a publisher, we have added so much to the game that it's hard to figure out what's most important to mention. One of the biggest is....SEASONS!

Other updates

Apart from having seasons now (which has truly made the game come full circle!) we also have a major network of NPCs who age, join professions, get married and start families of their own. So you are no longer alone living life! Everyone else is too. We didn't always agree on making the game into a sim. Back during very early development, I truly thought this wasn't important as I basically just wanted to make a farming game with survival elements. It wasn't until my partner insisted on having NPCs age and survive along with the players, that we pivoted into more of a sim game. Best decision we ever made. I am so glad I caved and agreed on changing up the game. So now, choices matter so much more as everyone can die!

More monthly posts from now on...

Now that we have a better direction on the game, we'll make sure to be better about keeping everyone updated on our website along with our socials and steam. I am not much of a social person but I do promise from now on to keep on top of posting as much as I can. Make sure to wishlist Echoes of the Plum Grove on Steam, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more daily updates. Cheers everyone!

Inking and Dyeing: Adding a Dash of Creativity

Inking and Dyeing: Adding a Dash of Creativity

Posted July 14, 2021 by Unwound Games

Dyeing was a large part of colonial America. It was seen as a way to stand out, and flaunt one's wealth. The more color you had in your clothing signified how rich you were and therefore how much influence you had within your society. Both men and women used dyes in their clothing, with the men dyeing three-piece suits and women dyeing their corsets and dresses. The bolder, more saturated colors, the better. Due to the demand, settlers began to seek out plants to help create dyes, such as walnuts, turmeric, logwood, and cochineal.

At one point, settlers even experimented with tobacco, but found it wasn’t as profitable as a dye. While many crops were leveraged for dyeing, none of them were more important than the indigo plant. The leaves of the indigo plant give off a rich deep blue color that, after properly processed, was highly desirable. With the rich in colonial America demanding it, the plant became a massive cash crop in the south. Eventually, demand for indigo reached such a fever pitch that it was exported and sent around the world.

Given the weight that dyes had on colonial America, we recently implemented dyeing into Echoes of the Plum Grove. This element of the colonial time period gives more authenticity to our game, and it also allows the player more freedom for creative expression and personalization.

Currently, we have 10 dye colors for players to create and choose from: black, blue, brown, green, grey, pink, purple, red, white and yellow. You can dye all clothing items in the game, and each outfit can have multiple colors. If you want to play around with these dyes or test them before you commit to dyeing, then you’ll want to visit the tailor’s shop. Mister O’Dell would be happy to help you out.

While we know you’re probably eager to get started dyeing your clothes immediately, the road to achieving a beautifully dyed outfit will be tough. You will have to forage for dye-able items, such as walnuts, madder, and bark from the logwood tree. Also, if you want to dye your clothing a certain color then you’ll need to procure certain items. For example, if you’re looking to turn your shoes brown then you’ll need to find the husk of walnuts, which can only be found during the fall season.

To create certain colors, such as blue or orange, you’ll need to grow dye plants. To get seeds to grow them, you must buy them from the ships that pass through Honeywood. The seeds you can buy will also depend on the season. As it was difficult to obtain dyes in the colonial period, so too will it be for you as a player.
We know that dyeing is rarely used in such a complicated way in games but, because of its importance in colonial America, we found that authentic process very important to replicate in our game. I have always wanted to add dimension to clothing, so instead of just quickly buying a new outfit, you have to put the time and care into what you wear, and the village will respond to your choices as well. 

So you may now be wondering...what’s next? Well, we’re hard at work on some other cool features to add to the game, so follow us on social media @UnwoundGames to stay up to date on the latest news and feature updates!

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Greetings from Unwound Games!

Posted May 11, 2021 by Unwound Games
Paper mario style game setting. Setting shows a farm full of grown veggies and other crops. An older woman stands next to some flour and prepares to harvest it. This cozy indie game, Echoes of the Plum Grove, is currently in development.

To start, we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has shared, liked, talked about, and been excited about Echoes of the Plum Grove. We have been humbled and ecstatic about everyone’s initial thoughts to our little game.

We know there have been some burning questions about our development process as well as the game overall, so today we wanted to take some time to go through five of those. We hope to update this blog with more dev updates, news, and behind-the-scenes stuff soon!

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Echoes of the Plum Grove?

A: We have always been fans of games like Stardew Valley, Don’t Starve and games that involved revitalizing a community, town, or farm. We really liked the idea of a game that had both survival and cozy elements, which became the seed of Echoes of the Plum Grove. Then, we needed a style and time period that would match that theme.

Since survival before modern times was more difficult (but not as difficult compared to earlier times), we settled on the American colonial period. To bring in the cozy elements, we were inspired by the paper-like art style similar to Paper Mario. It fits the cozy vibe, is easy to create multiple assets quickly by one artist, and offers a bit of nostalgia.

Q: Out of all the games you could have made, why make a cozy game?

A: We want to make games that we like to play. There’s an escapism aspect of games that we are drawn to – both escaping the real world and also experiencing the simplicity of what it was like to live centuries ago. Cozy games also have a knack for creating stories through randomized events and characters and we wanted to create these similar types of structures.

Q: What’s it like working on an indie game?

A: It’s been interesting, that’s for sure! It’s completely different than working for a bigger corporation – we’ve both done that. One of the benefits that comes with working on an indie game is that we’re our own boss. We make what we want, whenever or wherever we want. Having that sort of creative freedom is incredibly rewarding.

However, there are some sacrifices we’ve made. Not only do we not have salaries coming in anymore, we also have to be very self-motivated. It can also be difficult to brainstorm since it’s just the two of us and we work in different fields. But even with some of those drawbacks, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re building a game we genuinely love and we can’t wait to share it with you all.

Q: What’s one feature that you think others will love about Echoes of the Plum Grove?

A: Farming. It’s not just a way to make money. You have to farm to survive, raise a family, and to be part of the community. It’s one feature we feel has been missing from a lot of games in this genre – we actually draw inspiration from Oregon Trail where preparing was the most important part of surviving the trek!

Q: When can I play the game?

A: We love to hear your excitement for the game! Our focus right now is making the game as expansive and polished as possible before its release. As soon as we have more news or updates to share, we'll be sure to make a big announcement.

And, you can always follow us on social media to get more information and stay up to date on our progress!

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