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  art comparison.png (Size: 284.11 KB / Downloads: 1) ]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=55 Fri, 19 Aug 2016 17:19:41 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=55 So sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been rather busy and difficult both on and away from the game front. I won’t get into the personal stuff on this site, but regarding the game, programming is pretty much at a standstill and I’m very tempted to redo most (if not all) of the game art.


The one patron I had (who is a relative) agreed to the Patreon just becoming a general art and writing one until the game’s programming is a little farther along. When that happens, there will probably be a kickstarter *after* Alpha or Beta starts. There might be possible donations later, but not until there is something more solid on the website.


We do have one framework on the site, but our programmer found some issues with it and showed me and we don’t feel comfortable with going into Alpha until that is all resolved.


For art, I’ve been experimenting with other styles and am very tempted to redo the artwork. If I end up doing that, I’ll be posting the new art for people to vote on.


Thank you for sticking around, and again, so sorry about the lack of updates. We should have something more solid by the end of the year (hopefully).]]> So sorry for the lack of updates. Things have been rather busy and difficult both on and away from the game front. I won’t get into the personal stuff on this site, but regarding the game, programming is pretty much at a standstill and I’m very tempted to redo most (if not all) of the game art.


The one patron I had (who is a relative) agreed to the Patreon just becoming a general art and writing one until the game’s programming is a little farther along. When that happens, there will probably be a kickstarter *after* Alpha or Beta starts. There might be possible donations later, but not until there is something more solid on the website.


We do have one framework on the site, but our programmer found some issues with it and showed me and we don’t feel comfortable with going into Alpha until that is all resolved.


For art, I’ve been experimenting with other styles and am very tempted to redo the artwork. If I end up doing that, I’ll be posting the new art for people to vote on.


Thank you for sticking around, and again, so sorry about the lack of updates. We should have something more solid by the end of the year (hopefully).]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=53 Tue, 08 Dec 2015 01:26:39 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=53 Hello! Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this game!

We are still on a hiatus of sorts and so the opening of Alpha will be pushed back into 2016. We ran into issues with the framework we were using (this may be solved soon with another framework that we have been saving up for that will be released around Christmas). We also started new jobs that we're still getting into the swing of things with, but I hope to have more information with this new framework at the start of the year!

That being said, it's still going to be a little longer, even with the possibility of this framework because my knee developed some severe problems on Thursday and I may require surgery. I will keep everyone updated as to how this goes! It may give me more time to work on the art while I'm recovering.

Thank you again for all of your patience and I am so sorry to have gone so long without an update! Feel free to post on the forum in the meantime and we should have another update in January!

-ilrak]]> Hello! Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this game!

We are still on a hiatus of sorts and so the opening of Alpha will be pushed back into 2016. We ran into issues with the framework we were using (this may be solved soon with another framework that we have been saving up for that will be released around Christmas). We also started new jobs that we're still getting into the swing of things with, but I hope to have more information with this new framework at the start of the year!

That being said, it's still going to be a little longer, even with the possibility of this framework because my knee developed some severe problems on Thursday and I may require surgery. I will keep everyone updated as to how this goes! It may give me more time to work on the art while I'm recovering.

Thank you again for all of your patience and I am so sorry to have gone so long without an update! Feel free to post on the forum in the meantime and we should have another update in January!

-ilrak]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=52 Sun, 06 Sep 2015 21:07:41 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=52

The Alex Tribute Skin by Qilin. "Alex is our best friend. Some goldfish have coloured their bodies in attribute to Alex."


Congratulations, Qilin! I'll be sending you a private message soon!


The comic is going to be late this month. Had to work overtime for the last three weeks so I haven't been able to do much artwork. I'm also trying to finish putting the finished breeds into the proper folder structure for image generation.


Another update will come soon! Thanks for hanging in there!]]>

The Alex Tribute Skin by Qilin. "Alex is our best friend. Some goldfish have coloured their bodies in attribute to Alex."


Congratulations, Qilin! I'll be sending you a private message soon!


The comic is going to be late this month. Had to work overtime for the last three weeks so I haven't been able to do much artwork. I'm also trying to finish putting the finished breeds into the proper folder structure for image generation.


Another update will come soon! Thanks for hanging in there!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=51 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 13:47:43 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=51
Justin (our programmer) and I met last night to talk about some things and we made a bit of progress. We'll be trying some things with the image generation on the site. Stay tuned!]]>
Justin (our programmer) and I met last night to talk about some things and we made a bit of progress. We'll be trying some things with the image generation on the site. Stay tuned!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=50 Sat, 22 Aug 2015 04:45:24 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=50 It's time for the weekly update (a little late).



This week's update is kind of smallish, but hopefully it won't disappoint!





First up ...



The first Hybrid breed!




These are the Tamasabas! They are only available through breeding Ryukins and Commons together and they are very rare. They, like all other hybrids, will have a 10% chance of occurring. This breed is slightly dimorphic in the game with the males having a larger hump than the females. They are generally smart like the Common half of their ancestry, and they also can either be extremely gregarious or extremely territorial. They are generally the most playful breed.





Fun Fact: LB, the Battle Shop owner is a Tamasaba.





Next up ...


Two new apparels!




These two apparels are part of the "Masked Death" set of apparels. Right now, I'm planning on having the skull apparel available from LB and the mask and cloak being available from Oskar (by giving her a few of the skull apparels and a pelt item.





Speaking of the Masked Death ...




This fellow is going to be an NPC that can be battled in the Shallows area. I haven't created the background for him yet, but I'll be working on the background for him and the Spearfaced Death soon.





That's it for this update! Thank you all for your support, and remember to enter the skin contest!





-ilrak/KDVal]]> It's time for the weekly update (a little late).



This week's update is kind of smallish, but hopefully it won't disappoint!





First up ...



The first Hybrid breed!




These are the Tamasabas! They are only available through breeding Ryukins and Commons together and they are very rare. They, like all other hybrids, will have a 10% chance of occurring. This breed is slightly dimorphic in the game with the males having a larger hump than the females. They are generally smart like the Common half of their ancestry, and they also can either be extremely gregarious or extremely territorial. They are generally the most playful breed.





Fun Fact: LB, the Battle Shop owner is a Tamasaba.





Next up ...


Two new apparels!




These two apparels are part of the "Masked Death" set of apparels. Right now, I'm planning on having the skull apparel available from LB and the mask and cloak being available from Oskar (by giving her a few of the skull apparels and a pelt item.





Speaking of the Masked Death ...




This fellow is going to be an NPC that can be battled in the Shallows area. I haven't created the background for him yet, but I'll be working on the background for him and the Spearfaced Death soon.





That's it for this update! Thank you all for your support, and remember to enter the skin contest!





-ilrak/KDVal]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=47 Wed, 05 Aug 2015 21:54:56 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=47 Hooray! The official blog for the in-development Goldfish Sim, Auratus Ghoti has over 75 followers!

As promised in an earlier post, here are the reveals of the two thumbnails, the new contest, and a little map bonus update!

First up, the new set of markings!



Based off of the Asagi and Shusui koi markings, this primary, secondary, and tertiary set can make your fish look spectacular! I’m not sure if this will be a gravel, river rock, or favor marking set yet. Modeled on a male common goldfish. This is the first of the Koi styled markings (we saw so many beautiful ones on our pond tour so I’m working on working a few more into the game).

Next, the items. These can be used as food (based on some observations we’ve seen of some fish released in the local lakes) or they can be hoarded (and if we end up doing a companion system, they might become craftable for adorable companions):



Yellow Fry of the Flat-Faced Death:  Sure, it’s cute now, but when it grows up, it might eat you!





Fry of the Mallard Flat-Faced Death:  The Flat-Faced Death ate one of your fry? Get revenge!



Fry of the Mandarin Flat-Faced Death: I wonder if it tastes like a tiny orange?

There will be a few more of these in the coming weeks and months, but these are the first three. They will be a high rarity item and can either be added to the food stores or collected (I’ll probably be collecting these because baby ducks are adorable).

I’m also toying with changing up the world map based on the seasons. This set shows what each map would look like for Winter, Spring, Summer (the drought event), and fall.



Finally, we have our contest! This will be another skin/tattoo contest, this time for Ryukin goldfish!

If you are a member of the forums, you may have seen that the lore comic is focusing on Indoors. The gods are being revealed in these updates (sort of), so this contest is all about the Spirit of Indoors. You can do skins based on the creator gods, based on what fish might see while at Indoors … you can even use other lore hints about Indoors for this contest. Once again, you can only participate if you are a member of the pre-alpha forums.

Rules:

You can post as many entries as you like, but there will only be two winners - one skin for males and one for females.
Skins must cover at least 50% of the body and cannot go over any of the line art or the eyes. They should not be so dark that the shadow layer is not visible.
Skins cannot contain copyrighted materials
Skins will need to be entered as transparent .png files at 350 x 350 px
You can find the PSDs in the Skin Forum. Do not share them outside of this forum.
Entries must be posted by August 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm in the Contest Submission thread.

The winners will have their skins be official game skins and will have their names in the credits, as well as 500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens.

Thank you again for all of your support!]]> Hooray! The official blog for the in-development Goldfish Sim, Auratus Ghoti has over 75 followers!

As promised in an earlier post, here are the reveals of the two thumbnails, the new contest, and a little map bonus update!

First up, the new set of markings!



Based off of the Asagi and Shusui koi markings, this primary, secondary, and tertiary set can make your fish look spectacular! I’m not sure if this will be a gravel, river rock, or favor marking set yet. Modeled on a male common goldfish. This is the first of the Koi styled markings (we saw so many beautiful ones on our pond tour so I’m working on working a few more into the game).

Next, the items. These can be used as food (based on some observations we’ve seen of some fish released in the local lakes) or they can be hoarded (and if we end up doing a companion system, they might become craftable for adorable companions):



Yellow Fry of the Flat-Faced Death:  Sure, it’s cute now, but when it grows up, it might eat you!





Fry of the Mallard Flat-Faced Death:  The Flat-Faced Death ate one of your fry? Get revenge!



Fry of the Mandarin Flat-Faced Death: I wonder if it tastes like a tiny orange?

There will be a few more of these in the coming weeks and months, but these are the first three. They will be a high rarity item and can either be added to the food stores or collected (I’ll probably be collecting these because baby ducks are adorable).

I’m also toying with changing up the world map based on the seasons. This set shows what each map would look like for Winter, Spring, Summer (the drought event), and fall.



Finally, we have our contest! This will be another skin/tattoo contest, this time for Ryukin goldfish!

If you are a member of the forums, you may have seen that the lore comic is focusing on Indoors. The gods are being revealed in these updates (sort of), so this contest is all about the Spirit of Indoors. You can do skins based on the creator gods, based on what fish might see while at Indoors … you can even use other lore hints about Indoors for this contest. Once again, you can only participate if you are a member of the pre-alpha forums.

Rules:

You can post as many entries as you like, but there will only be two winners - one skin for males and one for females.
Skins must cover at least 50% of the body and cannot go over any of the line art or the eyes. They should not be so dark that the shadow layer is not visible.
Skins cannot contain copyrighted materials
Skins will need to be entered as transparent .png files at 350 x 350 px
You can find the PSDs in the Skin Forum. Do not share them outside of this forum.
Entries must be posted by August 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm in the Contest Submission thread.

The winners will have their skins be official game skins and will have their names in the credits, as well as 500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens.

Thank you again for all of your support!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=43 Sun, 02 Aug 2015 03:48:17 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=43
Hooray! We have our winners!

First, for Common Female Goldfish: Cola Scale, by Philly!



Modeled on a blue female
Next up, for male common goldfish, Seaweed Impostor by Faudilay


Modeled by a black goldfish.


Congratulations to our winners!

They will receive  500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens as well as having their name in the credits and tooltip for the skin and the skins will be official skins for Auratus Ghoti!

There will be another skin contest that will start when we hit 75 followers (2 away!). This may or may not have to do with this month’s lore comic.
Next up, an item preview!  


Just a thumbnail right now (I’ll post the full versions on the 75 follower update). A hint though, this will be a food item (or it can be collected by schools that don’t necessarily want to eat this), and the tooltip for the basic version will be “The Flat-Faced Death ate one of your fry? Get revenge!” with another being “Sure, it’s cute now, but when it grows up, it might eat you!”
That’s all for this week’s update!
-ilrak/KDVal4]]>
Hooray! We have our winners!

First, for Common Female Goldfish: Cola Scale, by Philly!



Modeled on a blue female
Next up, for male common goldfish, Seaweed Impostor by Faudilay


Modeled by a black goldfish.


Congratulations to our winners!

They will receive  500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens as well as having their name in the credits and tooltip for the skin and the skins will be official skins for Auratus Ghoti!

There will be another skin contest that will start when we hit 75 followers (2 away!). This may or may not have to do with this month’s lore comic.
Next up, an item preview!  


Just a thumbnail right now (I’ll post the full versions on the 75 follower update). A hint though, this will be a food item (or it can be collected by schools that don’t necessarily want to eat this), and the tooltip for the basic version will be “The Flat-Faced Death ate one of your fry? Get revenge!” with another being “Sure, it’s cute now, but when it grows up, it might eat you!”
That’s all for this week’s update!
-ilrak/KDVal4]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=40 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 04:02:09 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=40 Because the patreon reached the $10 a month goal, the first double update of the lore comic is scheduled to be released for patrons and members of the pre-alpha forum on Friday, barring any unforseen circumstances.

The lore comic will feature snapshots of the history of the pond and give background to different aspects of the game. It will follow two juvenile goldfish who are learning about the history of the pond from Goldie, the prophet.

If you are interested in reading the coming (and seeing adorable by goldfish learn about their new home) but you aren't able to become a patron, be sure to join the pre-alpha forums!


What’s next for the Patreon drive?
Next up is reaching the $20 a month goal where more breeds will be released when the game opens to the public. Currently, the only breeds that will be released at game opening will be Commons, Ryukins, Crown Pearlscales (to those who pledge the amount for them), and Bristol Shubunkins. 

Programming update
The next update on programming should be posted Sunday or Monday (possibly around the time that the weekly update is posted). I’m meeting with Justin on Sunday night so we should have a good idea of what is next then. 


Skin contest
The skin contest is still going! We’ve have three very cool entries and I’m excited to see more! This ends on Friday at 11:59 pm! You do need to be a member of the pre-alpha forums to participate.


Thank you for all of your support in this game! I’m excited to post another art update soon!]]> Because the patreon reached the $10 a month goal, the first double update of the lore comic is scheduled to be released for patrons and members of the pre-alpha forum on Friday, barring any unforseen circumstances.

The lore comic will feature snapshots of the history of the pond and give background to different aspects of the game. It will follow two juvenile goldfish who are learning about the history of the pond from Goldie, the prophet.

If you are interested in reading the coming (and seeing adorable by goldfish learn about their new home) but you aren't able to become a patron, be sure to join the pre-alpha forums!


What’s next for the Patreon drive?
Next up is reaching the $20 a month goal where more breeds will be released when the game opens to the public. Currently, the only breeds that will be released at game opening will be Commons, Ryukins, Crown Pearlscales (to those who pledge the amount for them), and Bristol Shubunkins. 

Programming update
The next update on programming should be posted Sunday or Monday (possibly around the time that the weekly update is posted). I’m meeting with Justin on Sunday night so we should have a good idea of what is next then. 


Skin contest
The skin contest is still going! We’ve have three very cool entries and I’m excited to see more! This ends on Friday at 11:59 pm! You do need to be a member of the pre-alpha forums to participate.


Thank you for all of your support in this game! I’m excited to post another art update soon!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=39 Tue, 21 Jul 2015 03:13:28 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=39
Remember the old worldmap from a few posts back?



Kinda bland, kinda meh? I've been working on the techniques I was using a little bit (and since my mom was wanting a pond dug for her yard, I started brainstorming what the shelves should look like and such) and so today ...



Ta Da! Here is the new world map, complete with areas where there are shelves/changes in depths. Water Lettuce Forest is now just that, a forest! The waterfall that makes the Depths the perfect place year round is there.  The areas are all the colors that are associated with the zones. The more detailed world maps will come soon, with what the main centers of each zone will look like.

Progress!]]>
Remember the old worldmap from a few posts back?



Kinda bland, kinda meh? I've been working on the techniques I was using a little bit (and since my mom was wanting a pond dug for her yard, I started brainstorming what the shelves should look like and such) and so today ...



Ta Da! Here is the new world map, complete with areas where there are shelves/changes in depths. Water Lettuce Forest is now just that, a forest! The waterfall that makes the Depths the perfect place year round is there.  The areas are all the colors that are associated with the zones. The more detailed world maps will come soon, with what the main centers of each zone will look like.

Progress!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=38 Mon, 20 Jul 2015 01:12:44 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=38 It's time for the weekly update!
(a little late because my laptop decided it wanted to be a paperweight so I'm using my husband's for now)

First off, thank you again for all of your support in this game and welcome to any new users! We have a few updates this week, so let's get started!


Patreon Fundraiser

We've started a Patreon fundraiser to help with the costs of development. The model that Patreon has seemed to be the best fit and easiest for this game. With monthly goals hit through monthly pledges, more things will become available, either during the development (a comic that I will talk about more later) or things that we will release sooner (more breeds, markings, etc).


The comic is the one I'm actually most excited for since that's what I used to do all the time. When the $5 a month goal is hit, I'll be posting a monthly comic for patrons (and for members of the alpha forum, so forum members don't necessarily have to donate, and the forum posted version will be a separate section only visible to members). It will also be included in the hard copy Lore book that will be released to some of the higher donation levels. The e-copy of the lore story will be available online.


Here's the link to the patreon. Even if you can't pledge anything, feel free to signal boost this fundraiser.


Ranchus!


Here is a first look at the citizens of the Rocks, the Ranchus! They will be one of the first breeds to be purchasable by river rocks.




These adorable little guys will be release a couple months after the public game is released. Now, they look a little different from Charcoal, our resident expert on all things scientific in the pond, but there might be a good reason for that ...


Pond predator ...




Oh no! It's the Spearfaced Death!
*Phew* luckily, you won't have to face him until the Pond Invader portion of the battle system is released ... of course, if we end up reaching some of the higher goals in the patreon ...


This is the image that will be seen in battle. I'm working on the image seen when he shows up in explore. This is the first of the predators to have art done of them (and he will have background art as well).


Programming Update!


Last but not least, I have some great news about the state of programming! We have a new developer who is incredibly awesome. Meet, my good friend, Justin Cook. He has already shown me some awesome things that he has worked on and I am very excited to have him as our developer. We will be meeting monthly to work on the site. I'm hoping to have more updates on this by the end of the month!


Remember that the skin contest is still on and will end on July 31st! Be sure to post your submissions in the thread for the contest!


Thank you all again for all of your support! Have a wonderful week!


-ilrak]]> It's time for the weekly update!
(a little late because my laptop decided it wanted to be a paperweight so I'm using my husband's for now)

First off, thank you again for all of your support in this game and welcome to any new users! We have a few updates this week, so let's get started!


Patreon Fundraiser

We've started a Patreon fundraiser to help with the costs of development. The model that Patreon has seemed to be the best fit and easiest for this game. With monthly goals hit through monthly pledges, more things will become available, either during the development (a comic that I will talk about more later) or things that we will release sooner (more breeds, markings, etc).


The comic is the one I'm actually most excited for since that's what I used to do all the time. When the $5 a month goal is hit, I'll be posting a monthly comic for patrons (and for members of the alpha forum, so forum members don't necessarily have to donate, and the forum posted version will be a separate section only visible to members). It will also be included in the hard copy Lore book that will be released to some of the higher donation levels. The e-copy of the lore story will be available online.


Here's the link to the patreon. Even if you can't pledge anything, feel free to signal boost this fundraiser.


Ranchus!


Here is a first look at the citizens of the Rocks, the Ranchus! They will be one of the first breeds to be purchasable by river rocks.




These adorable little guys will be release a couple months after the public game is released. Now, they look a little different from Charcoal, our resident expert on all things scientific in the pond, but there might be a good reason for that ...


Pond predator ...




Oh no! It's the Spearfaced Death!
*Phew* luckily, you won't have to face him until the Pond Invader portion of the battle system is released ... of course, if we end up reaching some of the higher goals in the patreon ...


This is the image that will be seen in battle. I'm working on the image seen when he shows up in explore. This is the first of the predators to have art done of them (and he will have background art as well).


Programming Update!


Last but not least, I have some great news about the state of programming! We have a new developer who is incredibly awesome. Meet, my good friend, Justin Cook. He has already shown me some awesome things that he has worked on and I am very excited to have him as our developer. We will be meeting monthly to work on the site. I'm hoping to have more updates on this by the end of the month!


Remember that the skin contest is still on and will end on July 31st! Be sure to post your submissions in the thread for the contest!


Thank you all again for all of your support! Have a wonderful week!


-ilrak]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=28 Tue, 07 Jul 2015 05:27:15 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=28
Hooray! We've hit 50 Followers on Tumblr! Thank you both on the forums and on Tumblr for all of your support with this game!

Now for the fun updates! First off, a reveal of a new, Alpha tester only apparel!



Once the game opens for Alpha, testers will receive a bug net to thank them (and aid the fish in their pond) for catching bugs! After the first bug net, alpha testers can receive another net for each bug they report. Much like the alpha and beta genes, this will be retired after alpha testing (but will still exist in your inventories, so a bit of a bonus for being an alpha tester). I'm am planning out an apparel for beta testing as well (Alpha testers will be able to receive both forms of apparel and genes since they have been around since the beginning).

To commemorate having 50 followers, we'll also be doing a skin contest! Right out of the gate, we're going to be doing a bit of a hard contest that might require a lot of imagination (and some lore reading).



For this 50 follower milestone, the skin contest is "Mystery of the Far Bank". You will definitely need to look at some of the lore descriptions (especially in Oskar's territory post) to come up with clues to what you think your schools might think the Far Bank is like. Then, create skins for Common goldfish to decorate themselves in!

Rules:

You can post as many entries as you like, but there will only be two winners - one skin for males and one for females.
Skins must cover at least 50% of the body and cannot go over any of the line art or the eyes. They should not be so dark that the shadow layer is not visible.
Skins cannot contain copyrighted materials
Skins will need to be entered as .png files at 350 x 350 px
You can find the PSDs in the Skin Forum. Do not share them outside of this forum.
Entries must be posted by July 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm in the Contest Submission thread.

The winners will have their skins be official game skins and will have their names in the credits, as well as 500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens.

Good luck and thank you all again for your support!]]>
Hooray! We've hit 50 Followers on Tumblr! Thank you both on the forums and on Tumblr for all of your support with this game!

Now for the fun updates! First off, a reveal of a new, Alpha tester only apparel!



Once the game opens for Alpha, testers will receive a bug net to thank them (and aid the fish in their pond) for catching bugs! After the first bug net, alpha testers can receive another net for each bug they report. Much like the alpha and beta genes, this will be retired after alpha testing (but will still exist in your inventories, so a bit of a bonus for being an alpha tester). I'm am planning out an apparel for beta testing as well (Alpha testers will be able to receive both forms of apparel and genes since they have been around since the beginning).

To commemorate having 50 followers, we'll also be doing a skin contest! Right out of the gate, we're going to be doing a bit of a hard contest that might require a lot of imagination (and some lore reading).



For this 50 follower milestone, the skin contest is "Mystery of the Far Bank". You will definitely need to look at some of the lore descriptions (especially in Oskar's territory post) to come up with clues to what you think your schools might think the Far Bank is like. Then, create skins for Common goldfish to decorate themselves in!

Rules:

You can post as many entries as you like, but there will only be two winners - one skin for males and one for females.
Skins must cover at least 50% of the body and cannot go over any of the line art or the eyes. They should not be so dark that the shadow layer is not visible.
Skins cannot contain copyrighted materials
Skins will need to be entered as .png files at 350 x 350 px
You can find the PSDs in the Skin Forum. Do not share them outside of this forum.
Entries must be posted by July 31, 2015 at 11:59 pm in the Contest Submission thread.

The winners will have their skins be official game skins and will have their names in the credits, as well as 500 river rocks, 50 favor, and a copy of their winning skin when the game opens.

Good luck and thank you all again for your support!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=24 Sat, 04 Jul 2015 23:02:59 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=24
There are currently six habitable zones in the pond (the Neutral Zone is home only to the original fish of the old pond and the Forbidden Zone is, well, forbidden), as I had mentioned in an earlier update (here). Of course, right now the areas only will lead to new discussion grounds (with the possibility of friends, conversation based challenges), but after the pond truly opens, you will be able to live there and participate in pond-wide, friendly challenges against the other zones in order to please the gods! 

For anyone who has not ever seen them before, here are all of the areas of the new pond:

The Shallows
Leader of this Zone: Michael

This area is on the West side of the pond and is considered a safe home at first glance, being closest to the land of the gods, but it is not without its dangers. This is where it is believed the Masked Death first arrived as well. The fish here are more outgoing, being used to the gods being near this side of the pond the most often. The religious leaders tends to be in conflict with the scientific leaders in this part of the pond.

Green Water
Leader of this Zone: Mark
This area is almost unnaturally rich in algae and is home to some of the stranger looking breeds. Fish from other areas of the pond will sometimes come here to try and gather algae for their developing fry. This is not without risk however. Many inhabitants of the pond believe that the green water is due to the area's close proximity to the Forbidden Zone. Therefore, algae that is collected near the boundary of Green Water and the Forbidden Zone is rarely consumed, unless it is used for potions. The fish in this area seem to have amazing abilities as well. You would almost think they were magic. The scientific leaders thinks there may be a different reason for their abilities.

Water Lettuce Forest
Leader of this Zone: Sarge
This area is believed to be the home of the Ryukins. This breeds aggressively patrols the area. Many believe that it is because this is a perfect place for eggs to be laid, and thus a sacred place for all fish of the pond – according to the inhabitants of the area that is. The Webbed Death was believed to once lurk just above the water here.

The Depths
Leader of this Zone: Morpho
This area is the home of the Common Goldfish. It is also a safe haven for all breeds during the winter. The fish here are the most welcoming to the other breeds. The fish of this area are always training for the return of the fabled Web-Footed Shadow, the Furry Fish, and the Silent Shadow. These fish are also considered to be the biggest and fastest of the pond.

The Rocks
Leader of this Zone: Charcoal
Pearlscales are believed to have originated here (according to the religious leaders). This area is filled with places to hide in, but more delicate breeds tend to avoid the more jagged areas. The Spear Faced Death was thought to patrol here in the times of the First Pond. The fish here have gruff personalities and tend to be secretive, using the rocks as their shelters. They are also very scientifically minded.

The Far Bank
Leader of this Zone: Beryl
This area is visited by the gods as well as the Loud Impostor Gods. Not many fish have visited this area of the pond because of how far away it is from the land of the gods. Some foraging parties have returned with items left there by the Impostor Gods.

Each of the Zone leaders will come here to talk about their respective zones some more, shortly. I'm sure they want to each tempt everyone into their own areas. Right now, it will be easy to change your mind as to which area you want to live in. When the new pond opens, however, it will be a bit more costly to move to a new home after you choose one.

I hear the gods opening the screen door to their land. I suppose I had better return to the land of the gods to roost for the night!

Farewell and happy choosing!

-Oskar]]>
There are currently six habitable zones in the pond (the Neutral Zone is home only to the original fish of the old pond and the Forbidden Zone is, well, forbidden), as I had mentioned in an earlier update (here). Of course, right now the areas only will lead to new discussion grounds (with the possibility of friends, conversation based challenges), but after the pond truly opens, you will be able to live there and participate in pond-wide, friendly challenges against the other zones in order to please the gods! 

For anyone who has not ever seen them before, here are all of the areas of the new pond:

The Shallows
Leader of this Zone: Michael

This area is on the West side of the pond and is considered a safe home at first glance, being closest to the land of the gods, but it is not without its dangers. This is where it is believed the Masked Death first arrived as well. The fish here are more outgoing, being used to the gods being near this side of the pond the most often. The religious leaders tends to be in conflict with the scientific leaders in this part of the pond.

Green Water
Leader of this Zone: Mark
This area is almost unnaturally rich in algae and is home to some of the stranger looking breeds. Fish from other areas of the pond will sometimes come here to try and gather algae for their developing fry. This is not without risk however. Many inhabitants of the pond believe that the green water is due to the area's close proximity to the Forbidden Zone. Therefore, algae that is collected near the boundary of Green Water and the Forbidden Zone is rarely consumed, unless it is used for potions. The fish in this area seem to have amazing abilities as well. You would almost think they were magic. The scientific leaders thinks there may be a different reason for their abilities.

Water Lettuce Forest
Leader of this Zone: Sarge
This area is believed to be the home of the Ryukins. This breeds aggressively patrols the area. Many believe that it is because this is a perfect place for eggs to be laid, and thus a sacred place for all fish of the pond – according to the inhabitants of the area that is. The Webbed Death was believed to once lurk just above the water here.

The Depths
Leader of this Zone: Morpho
This area is the home of the Common Goldfish. It is also a safe haven for all breeds during the winter. The fish here are the most welcoming to the other breeds. The fish of this area are always training for the return of the fabled Web-Footed Shadow, the Furry Fish, and the Silent Shadow. These fish are also considered to be the biggest and fastest of the pond.

The Rocks
Leader of this Zone: Charcoal
Pearlscales are believed to have originated here (according to the religious leaders). This area is filled with places to hide in, but more delicate breeds tend to avoid the more jagged areas. The Spear Faced Death was thought to patrol here in the times of the First Pond. The fish here have gruff personalities and tend to be secretive, using the rocks as their shelters. They are also very scientifically minded.

The Far Bank
Leader of this Zone: Beryl
This area is visited by the gods as well as the Loud Impostor Gods. Not many fish have visited this area of the pond because of how far away it is from the land of the gods. Some foraging parties have returned with items left there by the Impostor Gods.

Each of the Zone leaders will come here to talk about their respective zones some more, shortly. I'm sure they want to each tempt everyone into their own areas. Right now, it will be easy to change your mind as to which area you want to live in. When the new pond opens, however, it will be a bit more costly to move to a new home after you choose one.

I hear the gods opening the screen door to their land. I suppose I had better return to the land of the gods to roost for the night!

Farewell and happy choosing!

-Oskar]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=23 Sat, 04 Jul 2015 21:39:42 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=23


Look at that shiny new logo! How awesome! 

First off, I've started working on the breed art for Ranchu goldfish. They will be the second "River Rock" breed after Tosakins. I won't be introducing them until after Egg goldfish since Ranchus are egg goldfish with rounded backs and wens (not as big of wens as the Lionheads in game, but the wen covers the whole face).



Only the male art is mostly done, but I'm planning on working on the rest of the ranchu base art this weekend.

You may notice, however, that Charcoal, the ranchu that is in charge of the Rocks territory has a bit of a larger wen than even the male Ranchus. That will be explained in some lore stuff from her later.

We had a bit of a bumpy road with programming this last month, but I'm hoping to have some news, programming wise, by the end of next week!

We also now have a cafepress shop up to help fund the site development. As of right now, there are a few T-shirts, coffee mugs, and a bumper sticker. Right now, coffee mug-wise, there is a stacking set that will eventually have each breed represented on a cup. The cafepress shop is the only shop of physical items that will stay open after the game opens to the public.


An example of the shirts - "Sofishticated Pearlscale"

Coming up soon on the forums will be a BBCode guide and some more NPCs for each of the zones. Let me know which area you would like to be put into. While we wait for Alpha testing to begin, I'd like to starts some forum things with each of the factions!

That's all for now! Thank you again for joining us, and I look forward to updating you all some more next week!]]>


Look at that shiny new logo! How awesome! 

First off, I've started working on the breed art for Ranchu goldfish. They will be the second "River Rock" breed after Tosakins. I won't be introducing them until after Egg goldfish since Ranchus are egg goldfish with rounded backs and wens (not as big of wens as the Lionheads in game, but the wen covers the whole face).



Only the male art is mostly done, but I'm planning on working on the rest of the ranchu base art this weekend.

You may notice, however, that Charcoal, the ranchu that is in charge of the Rocks territory has a bit of a larger wen than even the male Ranchus. That will be explained in some lore stuff from her later.

We had a bit of a bumpy road with programming this last month, but I'm hoping to have some news, programming wise, by the end of next week!

We also now have a cafepress shop up to help fund the site development. As of right now, there are a few T-shirts, coffee mugs, and a bumper sticker. Right now, coffee mug-wise, there is a stacking set that will eventually have each breed represented on a cup. The cafepress shop is the only shop of physical items that will stay open after the game opens to the public.


An example of the shirts - "Sofishticated Pearlscale"

Coming up soon on the forums will be a BBCode guide and some more NPCs for each of the zones. Let me know which area you would like to be put into. While we wait for Alpha testing to begin, I'd like to starts some forum things with each of the factions!

That's all for now! Thank you again for joining us, and I look forward to updating you all some more next week!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=21 Sat, 13 Jun 2015 03:58:13 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=21
The first is the funding avatar, for helping reach funding gols (this will happen when the patreon drive is released

(low quality and smaller sized than the real size)
0


Next will be the referral one:


This will be rewarded to those who refer other people (and referrals during pre alpha count towards this).]]>
The first is the funding avatar, for helping reach funding gols (this will happen when the patreon drive is released

(low quality and smaller sized than the real size)
0


Next will be the referral one:


This will be rewarded to those who refer other people (and referrals during pre alpha count towards this).]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=20 Sat, 13 Jun 2015 03:14:24 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=20

Gravel is the most common currency. It is earned in battles, auto selling items, sending fish indoors, and weekly bonuses.




River Rocks are the premium currency. While it can be purchased ($.50 per River Rock), it also can be earned from battles, rarely from sending fish indoors and rarely from bonuses.




The final and tertiary currency is favor. It can be earned from weekly bonuses and NPC battles (invader). It can be used with the Toddler God. Celestial Goldfish breed changers can only be bought through favor.]]>

Gravel is the most common currency. It is earned in battles, auto selling items, sending fish indoors, and weekly bonuses.




River Rocks are the premium currency. While it can be purchased ($.50 per River Rock), it also can be earned from battles, rarely from sending fish indoors and rarely from bonuses.




The final and tertiary currency is favor. It can be earned from weekly bonuses and NPC battles (invader). It can be used with the Toddler God. Celestial Goldfish breed changers can only be bought through favor.]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=19 Sat, 13 Jun 2015 03:08:20 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=19

Goldie will be prominent on the news page and will occasionally show up during exploration to give quests. He is the oldest fish in the pond and is the only one who truly knows of the place of Judgement.


One of two non-fish friendly NPCs, Alex is a shetland sheepdog who is owned by the gods. He will greet all new users and help out with choosing a territory. He also will show up during a few events.


Poole is a female common goldfish who runs the gourmet food shop. All of the items in her shop can be purchased with river rocks. She is the mate to New Fish and the mother of LB and Banner.


New Fish is a kindhearted male ryukin who runs the festival shop with his son, Banner.


Banner is New Fish's son and LB's younger brother. He helps his dad run the festival shops.


New Fish and Poole's oldest daughter, LB runs an item and apparel shop where you can buy items to be used for crafting as well as battle items and apparel. She is the apprentice of Oskar, the raven.


Bowman is a young common goldfish who was one of the few survivors of the calamity that befell the first pond (along with New Fish, Poole, Izzy, and Goldie). They run the specialty item shop (breed and marking changers, etc).


Guy is an oranda who runs the decorative apparel shop. He has a huge crush on LB (who is oblivious).

Pearl is a pearlscale who runs the bank and trading post (where users can trade items and fish)


Charcoal is a ranchu who is in charge of "The Rocks" territory. She is also the leader of the "Materialist" fish and is the main researcher of that faction.


Michael is a celestial goldfish who runs the Shallows territory and is the leader of the "Idealist" faction. He is fiercely dedicated to the gods, even more so than Goldie.


Mark is an oranda who leads the "Green Water" territory.



Oskar is a raven who was rescued by "the gods" at the same time as the fish during the "calamity". She is blind in one eye and has very limited flight capabilities. She is still the pond's strongest ally. She also runs the crafting tree and helps the fish create items to keep them safe from predators.

NPCs still in need of art:
Izzy
Sarge
Unnamed fish in charge of the other territories
The Toddler God]]>

Goldie will be prominent on the news page and will occasionally show up during exploration to give quests. He is the oldest fish in the pond and is the only one who truly knows of the place of Judgement.


One of two non-fish friendly NPCs, Alex is a shetland sheepdog who is owned by the gods. He will greet all new users and help out with choosing a territory. He also will show up during a few events.


Poole is a female common goldfish who runs the gourmet food shop. All of the items in her shop can be purchased with river rocks. She is the mate to New Fish and the mother of LB and Banner.


New Fish is a kindhearted male ryukin who runs the festival shop with his son, Banner.


Banner is New Fish's son and LB's younger brother. He helps his dad run the festival shops.


New Fish and Poole's oldest daughter, LB runs an item and apparel shop where you can buy items to be used for crafting as well as battle items and apparel. She is the apprentice of Oskar, the raven.


Bowman is a young common goldfish who was one of the few survivors of the calamity that befell the first pond (along with New Fish, Poole, Izzy, and Goldie). They run the specialty item shop (breed and marking changers, etc).


Guy is an oranda who runs the decorative apparel shop. He has a huge crush on LB (who is oblivious).

Pearl is a pearlscale who runs the bank and trading post (where users can trade items and fish)


Charcoal is a ranchu who is in charge of "The Rocks" territory. She is also the leader of the "Materialist" fish and is the main researcher of that faction.


Michael is a celestial goldfish who runs the Shallows territory and is the leader of the "Idealist" faction. He is fiercely dedicated to the gods, even more so than Goldie.


Mark is an oranda who leads the "Green Water" territory.



Oskar is a raven who was rescued by "the gods" at the same time as the fish during the "calamity". She is blind in one eye and has very limited flight capabilities. She is still the pond's strongest ally. She also runs the crafting tree and helps the fish create items to keep them safe from predators.

NPCs still in need of art:
Izzy
Sarge
Unnamed fish in charge of the other territories
The Toddler God]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=18 Wed, 10 Jun 2015 16:04:27 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=18


The areas shown are:

Banner and New Fish's festival and game area (the banner)
Bowman's Specialty shop (the rocks at the bottom)
LB's Battle apparel and craftable items (the metal hut)
Pearl's Trading post and bank (the reeds in the center)
Guy's Fancy Apparel (the log)
Izzy's Fast Food (a gravel/primary currency food shop, the sandstone table)
Poole's Gourmet (the pot, a river rock/premium currency food shop)
Oskar's Crafting Tree (the tree)

Alex will have a special area that is yet to be determined.

Also, you may notice a new NPC up there. Is that perhaps the god known as "Toddler"?]]>


The areas shown are:

Banner and New Fish's festival and game area (the banner)
Bowman's Specialty shop (the rocks at the bottom)
LB's Battle apparel and craftable items (the metal hut)
Pearl's Trading post and bank (the reeds in the center)
Guy's Fancy Apparel (the log)
Izzy's Fast Food (a gravel/primary currency food shop, the sandstone table)
Poole's Gourmet (the pot, a river rock/premium currency food shop)
Oskar's Crafting Tree (the tree)

Alex will have a special area that is yet to be determined.

Also, you may notice a new NPC up there. Is that perhaps the god known as "Toddler"?]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=15 Wed, 20 May 2015 01:03:15 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=15
This post will be updated with the trailer when it is finished!]]>
This post will be updated with the trailer when it is finished!]]> http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11 Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:02:33 +0000 http://auratusghoti.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11 The first mutation (as a result of inbreeding) is being created!

Description from the design doc: “Mutations are one other mechanic that will hopefully be implemented. This is a consequence for inbreeding and can hinder bonuses from the gods … or gain one depending on the week.” 






Fish with cyclopia are born with one eye. Being hardy fish in this strangely uplifted fish society, fish with mutations do not die at birth, but their stats are lowered. Speed is the lowest stat for these fish.

Some other planned mutations are curled gills, Shortened fin(s), lumps, overgrown wens, scaleless, and eyeless.

I’m definitely open to more mutation ideas!]]> The first mutation (as a result of inbreeding) is being created!

Description from the design doc: “Mutations are one other mechanic that will hopefully be implemented. This is a consequence for inbreeding and can hinder bonuses from the gods … or gain one depending on the week.” 






Fish with cyclopia are born with one eye. Being hardy fish in this strangely uplifted fish society, fish with mutations do not die at birth, but their stats are lowered. Speed is the lowest stat for these fish.

Some other planned mutations are curled gills, Shortened fin(s), lumps, overgrown wens, scaleless, and eyeless.

I’m definitely open to more mutation ideas!]]>