Star Stable October Blog - Halloween & Trailblazer Track

Halloween Magical Horses

By Kyly Sheldon (Senior 3D Artist)

Many of us (employees and players) have wanted a robot horse for a long time now. We’ve dabbled with the idea, trying to shape it to past magic horse themes but never found the right fit. Until now. Finally, the opportunity presented itself with the “Villains of Jorvik” theme, which morphed into “Villains and Anti-Heroes”, since Ydris isn’t technically a villain or a hero. Our concept artist came up with the fantastic robot horse design and matching pet drone, and the carousel horse was a combo of designs from both of us #teamworkmakesthedreamwork :D

These horses were right up my alley. You know that alley with ALL the detail? Yes. That one. I could justifiably indulge myself with a healthy amount of elaborate elements ranging from patterns and worn wooden limbs, to metal segments and non-regulated wiring. At one point the carousel horse did get slightly immensely too detailed and lost the plot. It was no longer an escaped carousel horse with aspirations of a more fulfilling life, but a hundred-year-old hunk of driftwood that had seen some things it would rather not talk about. A lot of work went into that fail overenthusiastic attempt, so I hope for it to find its way into Jorvik somehow, maybe behind the circus tent amongst a pile of random circus paraphernalia/trash? Or standing in the shadowy bleachers inside the tent. Just staring. A creepy discovery for a Jorvegian explorer? Just a thought 😉

The drone was also part of the fun. I couldn’t help myself when it came to giving it a bossy bumper sticker. Its little grumpy demeanor made it seem like just the sort of character who would appreciate such an accessory.

I hope the players enjoy these characters as much as I enjoyed making them and give them the ending they deserve! One of friendship and freedom <3

Sound of Bolt

By Axel Bellinder (Sound Director)

Imagining how a robot horse would sound was such a fun challenge. Think about all the moving joints a real horse has; to recreate that in a machine would be like a steampunk orchestra mixed with a truck’s gearbox. The most high-tech version, though, might not make any sound at all, leaving just the sound of hooves hitting the ground, like with an actual horse.

So we went with a mix: kept the real horse sounds as the main layer and added some light internal mechanical noises, hydraulics, pressure exhausts, synchronized to match the different gaits. We focused on the slower gaits to avoid overwhelming you after hours of riding at top speed! I know you don’t have the horse trotting from Moorland to Hollow Woods ;)

For a fun twist, we took all the horse vocal sounds, reduced the bit rate a bit, and added light distortion, giving them a slightly rough, speaker-like quality, like they were playing from a low-fi speaker on the horse itself.

Drone-Pet

It’s kind of funny how a floating metal box can be so adorable and spark so many emotions. It felt like this little drone “pet” had a bit of a cold going on, so we added some hydraulic sounds that reminded me of tiny sneezes. Plus, the motor pitch shifts as the drone accelerates like it’s trying to keep up, which I think makes it even cuter. 😃

It's Alive!

By Anne Bullock (Narrative Lead)

When I first saw the Halloween horses I wondered, how am I going to bring them to life? Then I thought, I’m not going to, the villains will!

Instead of bringing villains into the Keep, I wanted Dark Core and Ydris to influence Halloween from a distance. So I let them use science and magic to create the “monstrous creatures” that would seek refuge, understanding, and companionship in Jorvik’s home to all things Goth and Ghostly. 

I wrote the beginning of Bolt’s and Calliope’s stories. The rest of their stories are for you to write. 

What about the other folks emulating Dr. Frankenstein–that would be Igor and you! Are your creations monstrous? Are you a villain? Or were you doing a good thing bringing those pets to life? 

Not satisfied with so few monsters running around, we had to include one more–the dreaded werewolf. My designer friend Harri and I have been entertaining ourselves (and hopefully you) with Buttergood quests for a few years and have been dying to get this quest into the game. With so many wolves chasing us, wasn’t someone bound to get chomped and turned? Darn tootin’.

I want to thank my colleagues from Design, 3D Art, UX/UI, Audio, QA, and Production for bringing the Halloween area and quests to life: Harri, Gabriel, Oscar, Evelina, Madeleine, Zeke, Max, Axel, Kajsa, and Kez. It’s always a fun time with this gang! 

I’ll leave you with a few fun tidbits about this festival:

• Calliope is named after the instrument associated with carousels

• I adapted the horses’ origin stories so Elin could film a horse trailer with existing assets (that was a crazy fun experience!)

• There is a pet named after a Goth character in a British comedy sketch

• There is an NPC named after a character in a classic Gothic novel

Happy Halloween!

Trailblazer Track Update

By Em & Evelina (Game Designer & Senior 3D Artist)

Hi hi, Starfam! We’re back again to share some updates about the Trailblazer Track - where we left off and what’s in store for the future! 

Last we spoke about the Trailblazer Track, the first Trail was yet to be released. We shared teasers about the experimental test that was the Trail of Dawn in the July Game Blog, how we would evaluate the test, and that we’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions once it reached your hands. And to put it lightly, you didn’t disappoint! It was not only so much fun to read your reactions, in-depth analyses, and breakdowns of the most optimal route for Trail Point collection, but it also informed us this is something you’d like to see return and what you’d like to see updated for future Trails. Thank you!

What was that, future Trails? You heard that right! After the success of the Trail of Dawn, we concluded that we should keep going with the development of the Trailblazer Tracks. And as you might have already seen on our SoMe channels, we’re gearing up for two new ones to be released very soon! The Trail of Splendor is active for 4 weeks during November, and is immediately followed by the Trail of Midwinter which is active for the 5 week long Winter Festival.

Sneak preview of the Trail of Splendor, the upcoming Trailblazer Track!

The new Trails feature updated UI, clearer and more transparent information about how things work, and a handful of other updates. With the addition of the Trail Point breakdown on the FAQ page, we’re aiming to be more transparent about how Trail Points are earned, especially when these numbers may change Trail-to-Trail in order to ensure the most enjoyable and fun experience for players. We still have a bunch of things we want to add and improve next, and we’re excited to hear from you what you’d like that to be! 

Trail Point breakdown page in the FAQ, where the order of activities determine how many points you earn. These numbers are not final, and may change Trail-to-Trail to ensure fair and fun balance.

Let’s talk a little bit about the new player and horse items for the upcoming Trailblazer Tracks, shall we!

These two tracks will be released in the late autumn and winter, and in order to make sure the items will be as interesting and diverse as possible, we have gathered a roundtable of artists, developers and content creators who are working on these coming releases to collect input, vibes, and inspiration!

For the second ever Trailblazer Track, the Trail of Splendor, we have made a deep dive into the Baroness’ closet and saddle room to dig out some stylish vintage pieces! We have embraced fanciness, as well as the “equestrian” part of the Silverglade Equestrian Center, and have borrowed freely from the Baroness’ color scheme, as well as her appreciation of tweed patterns and pretty pearls! To make sure the items fit the November autumnal vibe, we aimed for something slightly muted and cozy, combined with stylish yet durable autumn boots and horse tack. The tack items have also been treated to some high shine to further enhance the sparkle and stylishness. We sincerely hope you like it!

A preview of the Trail of Splendor player and horse items.

For the third Track, the Trail of Midwinter, we are looking to switch things up a little bit so hold on to your riding helmets! This time, we are putting together three smaller groups of items, to mix in a few different kinds of vibes that we believe all belong in the Winter festive spirit! One group of items may be catering to outdoor riding adventures in the snow, while a second group may be exactly the kind of items you need when snuggling up by the fireplace and staying warm! The third one…. Let’s just say we believe you will be dancin’ and prancin’ in the frosty air! 👀 We are very excited to see what you think about it!

Hmmmm I wonder what this could be?

Thank you for, once again, spending time with us and allowing us to share these updates about the Trailblazer Track. We’re looking forward to hearing what you think about the Trail of Splendor and Midwinter, and we can’t wait to see what exciting directions future Trails may lead us.

Until next time!