Mar 21, 2017Interviews
We recently had a chance to sit down and speak with Rebecca one of the two creators behind Ooblets. Rebecca is handling the programming and art development on her own. Even though she is handling a 2 person full time job, she was kind enough to take some time and answer some questions, that fans of the game are burning to know.
When we asked about the possibility to play with friends, Rebecca stated that there are currently no plans to add a 2 player co-op mode to the game, however, she would love to add a multiplayer mode to a possible Ooblets sequel in the future. Furthermore, she also went into greater detail about the main activities in the game, and what she is most excited about “is the player’s house upgrades, decoration, and item placement“. Player housing is always an exciting addition to any game, being able to create your home, and have a place to return to at the end of the day is something many players enjoy.
Rebecca also defined the core gameplay of Ooblets a little more. As she explains “The main activities are farming, exploring, battling, running a shop, and customizing stuff like your character, your Ooblets, your house, your shop, etc.” We were especially excited to hear about the possibility to run your own shop in Ooblets, and we can’t wait to hear more details about the shopkeeping feature in the game.
She also pointed out that given this project is based on the power of two people it may be unrealistic to expect Sims-like customization levels in regards to housing. Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley and other similar games do offer housing customization to some extend as well. As Ooblets has so many different activities to offer, players will be busy enough exploring all the other options, without having to worry about the depth of building level in the game.
Ooblets is packed with tons of features, and a level of cuteness not seen before. You can read the full interview with the lead programmer and lead artist on Ooblets below.
myPotatoGames: Are you considering to add a Multiplayer mode to Ooblets?
Rebecca: I think Ooblets co-op would be amazing, but with a two person team and the entirety of the game programming falling on my shoulders, it’s not feasible to include it and still get the game out in 2018. We’re hoping to maybe include multiplayer in a sequel if there’s enough interest.
myPotatoGames: Are there plans to have custom content?
Rebecca: There are no plans for that but it’s not completely out of the question. We do run the risk of spreading the game too thin with too much customization.
myPotatoGames: Do you see Ooblets hitting more platforms than just PC and Xbox One? Perhaps the Switch?
Rebecca: We don’t know what the future will hold!
myPotatoGames: Is “Badgetown” customizable in any way? Can you decorate it or place buildings?
Rebecca: You’ll hopefully be able to rent at least one building in Badgetown, but I don’t know about placing buildings or decorating. We’ve had a lot of plans for more town customization but they’re honestly likely not going to make it in given all the other big systems we still have left to implement. That’s another of those things that if there’s enough interest after release, it might be good to include in a sequel.
myPotatoGames: Will Ooblets feature a social system similar to Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley where you can get married to an NPC?
Rebecca: While we do get a lot of requests for this, we’re not currently planning it. There may be some sort of personal relationship mechanic for how friendly you are with various NPCs, but we’re probably going to avoid romantic relationships altogether.
myPotatoGames: Do you work alone on the game?
Rebecca: The team is me and @perplamps who is the game designer, community manager, and general businessy person. I do the art and code. We’ve had a few small things done by freelancers and we’re hoping to get more freelanced work added as we go along. In terms of non-development help, we’re super thankful to all the support and encouragement we get from our publisher Double Fine, our Patreon backers, and all the people who enjoy (and especially those who share) our content on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.
myPotatoGames: What is your favorite activity in Ooblets as of right now?
Rebecca: The thing I’m currently most excited about is the player’s house upgrades, decoration, and item placement. I’m a little bit afraid that people are thinking Ooblets has Sims-level customization which it totally won’t have, but you will be able to buy and collect furniture and items to put around your house and farm.
myPotatoGames: What main activties can a player expect in the game?
Rebecca: The main activities are farming, exploring, battling, running a shop, and customizing stuff like your character, your ooblets, your house, your shop, etc. Some of this stuff will obviously be a lot lighter than it’d be in a AAA game but we’re hoping that there will be dozens of hours worth of content and gameplay.
myPotatoGames: Are there seasons and/or weather in the game?
Rebecca: There’s some weather (well, rain) already implemented, but we’re not currently planning on seasons. Instead, there will be different biomes and weather depending on the region you’re exploring. One region might be snow and ice based while another would be a desert, and the crops you can collect there might require special care to grow back on your farm (like special greenhouses, soil, and planters).
myPotatoGames: What inspired you to start this project?
Rebecca: Our inspirations are pretty close to the surface!
Thank you so much Rebecca for answering our questions, and letting us be a part of the development progress of Ooblets. If you want to support the Ooblets team you can do so by joining the Patreon here. You can join Rebecca on Twitter here. Ooblets is currently set to release on PC and Xbox One. Check back for more information on Ooblets in the very near future. In the meantime you can enjoy the announcement trailer below.
Mar 20, 2017News
Ooblets has become one of the most anticipated games so far this year. It is a hybrid between Animal Crossing, Pokemon and Harvest Moon. These are games we all love and adore, comfort games we can turn to whenever we need a lift. Ooblets is aiming to become one of those games – you can play for years and still discover something new every time you return to the world.
Rebecca the developer behind Ooblets describes the game as ” Ever wanted a game that lets you collect cute creatures, manage a farm, and explore? Well you’re in luck buster, because that’s what I’m making! “. Not only can you farm, explore, and decorate your very own home, but you can also grow tiny little Ooblets, creatures to collect and love.
As the game is not going to be released anytime soon, we will just have to cozy up and enjoy following the development process of the game. The developers have recently announced that new characters have been added to the game. These are NPCs you can interact with. You may find them hiking in the beautiful countryside of Badgetown, the main city in the world of Ooblets.
The developers have also made great progress on the interiors. Badgetown is a booming city. Here you will find cafes, Shops, homes and more. The new Frunbuns clubhouse ( see below ) has recently been added to the game.
Some minor things like sprinting have also been added to Ooblets as well. The need to sprint hints at a rather large map of the game. The developers have stated that sprinting might be replaced by something more fun ” We’re hoping to expand on the idea a bit and maybe replace boring old sprinting with something more fun like rollerskating or skipping (or both!). “
The next steps the developers are working on is to integrate a new starter home. Similar to Animal Crossing you will start out with a tiny house, that with hard work and sweat can be upgraded to an actual home. Furthermore, the main city is undergoing constructions as Rebecca the developer behind Ooblets explains, “ Badgetown is going to go under a major rejuvenation project adding all sorts of new buildings like a real estate agency, furniture shop, salon, and more! “. Rebecca also points out that they are currently working on adding the option to have multiple save games at the same time. She claims this will be especially useful in designing the ever-elusive shopkeeping gameplay.
Ooblets is currently set to release on PC and Xbox One. A specific release date has not been announced yet. Check back for more updates on Ooblets coming very soon!
Mar 16, 2017News
Ooblets is a game between Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon. The adorable look of the game, including the cute Ooblets make every fans heart of the popular franchises above jump up high. Ooblets is coming to PC and Xbox One, and while there aren’t too many details about the actual gameplay yet, we have some cute artwork for you to look at. The animations have been posted on Twitter by ” nonplayercat ” the creater of Ooblets.
It’s interesting to see is the furniture implementation in the first tweet. It seems you will be able to decorate your very own home in a similar fashion to Animal Crossing with the recently added placement system in Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome Amiibo first introduced in Happy Home Designer. Making object placement a lot easier and more fun.
THIS WAS V HARD TO IMPLEMENT
plz appreciate pic.twitter.com/3tixJxCasy
— Rebecca (@nonplayercat) March 15, 2017
The second video shows what seems to be sprinkler or irrigation system helping to farm more, faster and better. Watering your garden can be fun, but also time consuming. Having sprinklers do your work as your garden, or farm becomes bigger is a huge benefit. We can’t wait to grow our very own cute, adorable Ooblets!
the barrels are growing bountifully this season
gamedev doesn't always need to make sense pic.twitter.com/5RcmZ9xFW3
— Rebecca (@nonplayercat) March 15, 2017
By now it is no secret that Ooblets is an adorable looking game. In the short animation below you can admire the cute Ooblets dancing and running around in what appeas to be a living room kinda location.
I just posted a brief write-up on the serious subject of __FOOT FARTS__ for all of my loverly Patreon supportsters: https://t.co/hr0lnxEvpI pic.twitter.com/fpvsDbezLE
— Rebecca (@nonplayercat) March 14, 2017
Mar 8, 2017News
Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and Pokemon fans are beyond excited about this game. Ooblets is a game with elements from all those games combined, with it’s own twist of course. The game was recently shown of at GDC ( Games Developer Conference ) in San Francisco, and many people got to try and play the game for a little while. Ooblets is still in development, features, graphics and more can change drastically along the way.
Ooblets is a collection and farming game at it’s heart. You will have to grow or catch the little Ooblets. And essentially collect them all. But there are more features in the game as listed below.
Plant, water, and harvest crops, manage and expand your farm, collect all sorts of junk, make friends, and also make littler friends (ooblets).
Use the crops you grow to befriend, upgrade, and heal ooblets. Buy a little shop and sell your excess crops and junk to the townspeople.
Explore regions like the Mamoonia desert, the spooky Nullwhere, bustling Hubton, and more! Discover loads of ooblets and battle other trainers all over the place.
Check out the trailer for Ooblets bellow, and dream away! Check back for more information on the game coming very soon.
Feb 26, 2017News
Ooblets the cute game that makes fans of Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokemon’s hearts jump up high. The developers have gone into more detail on how farming in the game will work. We have talked about how to grow your own Ooblets in a previous post here.
Farming is a big part of Ooblets and to make it more interesting the team came up with some ideas to make it even more fun and significant. The developer states ” To provide a bit more farming gameplay, we added the concept of weeds that can slow down plant growth and potentially destroy your crops if you let them get out of hand. Weeds will randomly sprout around your farm and will each spawn more weeds nearby if left unchecked. ”
Adventuring and Exploring is also a key element to Ooblets, the team has been working hard on making the world more appealing, but also more linear so exploring does not become a chore. The Ooblets team mentioned they changed the structure of the game to be a bit more linear in the adventuring department. This is accomplished by organizing the regions into trails you travel through to get to each next region. Beyond that they have also nearly finished with the first trail, which we’re tentatively calling the “Leaving Badgetown Trail”. At the end of this trail, you’ll have to battle your first real Ooblet master to gain access to Mamoonia.
One of the biggest technical challenges the Ooblets team faced, was to get character customization right. As seen bellow they have done a great job, and you will be able to fully customize your character from head to toe!
As the game is set to be released for Computer as well as Xbox One ( more platforms may be supported in the future ) the developer goes into greater detail on how the different controls will work for the game. Part of the difficulty in controller support or keyboard-only controls is that some interactions become difficult without a mouse. The big one we ran into was farming, where being able to select the tile you want is kind of important. Since Ooblets uses variable character rotation, we needed to come up with a system that would not make planting a seed or tilling a needle-threading experience. They claim to have solved this by shifting the camera to be more top-down and the character controls more tile-based when you’re in your farm. Your character now rotates to precise tile directions so you can easily select the thing you want to.
Feb 25, 2017News
Animal Crossing, Pokemon and Harvest Moon fans are beyond excited about Ooblets. The game is a hybrid between all those three games, and packs a lot of unique features on top of that. Adventuring and growing your own Ooblets are some of those unique features making the game stand out on it’s own.
As the developers of the game stated ” A lot of folks assumed you collect ooblets by growing them instead of
“catching” them after battles like other rpgs “, but in Ooblets you are actually growing your little cute friends. Just like you plant seeds in Harvest Moon you would plant your Ooblet and watch it grow. Seeds can be obtained in various ways, and of course some are more rare than others. The ones you get are typically a surprise, and you will definitely want to collect them all!
But Ooblets offers more than growing your own Ooblets, the game packs a beautiful world that invites you to explore and adventure. The developer states that ” Originally the plan was that you unlock different regions representing different biomes and themes with different Ooblets, trainers, and challenges all through the Badgetown trolley. ” However, in the end they have decide to create a town called Badgetown, this is ultimately your hometown in the game. The region is big, but to make travel easier, and avoid having to travel the same way over and over again, regions are connected by trams. Trams do unlock once you walk up to them. The Ooblets team hopes that this ” will hopefully make the adventuring parts of the game a lot more compelling and give us clearer direction in laying out the maps. ” The Team is currently focusing on refining the farming system further. If you want to hear more about Ooblets checkback for more information, details and exciting reveals coming soon!
The Game is set to be released for PC and Xbox One other platforms like the Nintendo Switch may be considered as well. Would you be interested in seeing this game come to the Nintendo 3DS? or the Nintendo Switch? Let us know!
Watch the Ooblets in-game trailer bellow!
Feb 23, 2017News
Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon fans are beyond excited about this game. Ooblets is a game with elements from Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Pokémon, all games with a very dedicated fan base.
Today we are looking at the first gameplay trailer released for Ooblets, the game is set to be released for PC and Xbox One. The footage bellow shows of some features such as Farming, the cute Moblets, and even character customization. It is expected that the simulation game will feature extensive customization options. Especially the farming elements will make any Harvest Moons fans heart jump a little higher. With the huge seed selection, you will be able to plant dozens of different crops.
Check out the in-game footage of Ooblets bellow, and dream away! Check back for more information on the game coming very soon.
Feb 22, 2017News
Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon fans are beyond excited about this game. Ooblets currently in development features extensive farming, social simulations, building and more. Some more screenshots and information have been released on the anticipated simulation game.
Here is everything that we have learned. Moblets club have been announced, this is a concept the developer talked about briefly earlier last year. Moblets are cute, adorable and everyone wants one. Think it as a cute Pokemon that follows you around. At the beginning of the game you choose a Moblet club, which will essential determine which starter Moblet you will receive, but not to worry you can always change them later on. Each Moblet has its very own quirky personality. Bellow is a list of Moblet Clubs currently set to be in the game, more will be added as development advances.
This will be your home, and the world your character will be living in. This contains your farm, your player hose, the town square, the market, seed shop, a clubhouse, a romantic boardwalk and just so much more. This game is packed with activities and things to explore. Check out the short first gameplay trailer below.