Hello everyone and welcome to yet another Something's Brewing, your number-one source for all things Ale Abbey, and its development.
With another week behind us, new stuff made its way into production. We - once again - worked a lot on redesigning the main UI, this time exploring the idea of splitting it into two very distinct parts. Adding to that ordeal, we also finished working on a few more under-construction rooms, well actually the Storage room but both versions of it, above and below ground level ;)
Onwards with the news!
-- Underground rooms need some construction too
The trend of the last couple of weeks continues with more and more rooms getting their "under construction" versions prepped up. This week we dealt with one room that has two facets: the Storage room with its two versions.
The one for when the room is built above ground... if you couldn't tell by the presence of windows:
And, the one underground, with colors and overall aesthetics that pair exceptionally well with the monastery's Cellars. The heat wave ravaging Europe right now reminds us all too well, underground rooms need some lovin' too!
And, talking about above and below.
-- Main UI progress
Having tested the main UI only in internal builds so far, it means it has been used for the bear minimum of checking if the backend and frontend agree with each other. Now having to tackle aesthetics and User Experience, a big part of the team is working on it non-stop!
Our more recent approach, is splitting the main UI in two very distinct - in functionality - parts. One located at the top of the screen will be bustling with "information at a glance" while its other half in the bottom of the screen will be more interactive.
In our effort to keep the top part as minimal as possible given its information-intensive nature, we decided to also make it completely devoid of action. This means that no elements in that part of the UI will be clickable or provide access to any other submenus.
The only one small exception will be the Speed and Pause controls located at the top right, and only for those who would choose to interact with the menu buttons instead of the the keyboard shortcuts (1,2,3, for the different speeds and Spacebar for Pause).
As you can clearly see, there are still some elements that are nested on the sides of the screen. We still have to consider their nature and final form, pending of course further testing of the main UI as a whole.
Moving to the bottom part...
-- The "other" main UI
The more player-interactive part of the UI, the one with no immediate information, but with the menus and submenus to take action, will be presented in the bottom of the screen. This is where everything will be clickable and "on the tip of your fingers."
We already have an idea about how to break down the items on the menu, by first centering the Buidling and Furniture/Equipment that will be used more often (especially during the first hours of gameplay). Moving outwards, on the right and left of that conceptual anchor in the middle, there will be two different clusters of menu items.
Although still WIP (everything from the clusters themselves and their position), below is a quick wireframe we prepared for it. We respect your eyes, so do yourself a favor and click on it for a larger version :p
This entire idea seems pretty solid so far and sounds very promising. We will probably spend a good chunk of next week testing it and maybe explore other options. Only time will tell, but don't worry, you'll be the first to know.
-- Overlagering Detected!
Last week we discussed what lagering (maturing certain styles of beers for longer periods before consuming them) does to a beer. But all is well in life until you cross certain thresholds, and lagering is no exception!
By maturing a lager longer you get improved clarity, a more balanced flavor profile, increased overall stability, and shelf life... But if you lager your beer a bit too much you also risk facing:
- Increased Storage Costs & Time Investment: Longer lagering times require more storage space and resources, which can increase the overall cost of production. Don't forget that this also relates to your precious time, potentially stopping you from producing other batches.
- Oxidation: Prolonged storage increases the risk of oxidation. Properly stored or not, your beer can get exposed to oxygen, even minimal amounts of it. This leads to flavor degradation and the development of oxidative flavors such as cardboard or stale notes.
- Diminishing Returns: After a certain point, the benefits of additional lagering become minimal, and further aging may not significantly improve the beer's quality. Your beer may reach a peak flavor profile (we really wish you that it does), beyond which extended aging does not enhance and may even slightly alter the flavor balance.
- Increased Potential for Infection: Along with oxidation, longer storage periods increase the risk of microbial contamination that will probably also lead to spoilage. Maintaining a sterile environment for extended periods is crucial to prevent infections, but increasing the time you need to be on your toes, also increases the chances a mistake will happen.
- Aging Flavors: Overly long aging can lead to staleness or the development of unwanted aged flavors that detract from the beer's freshness. It might start with desirable flavors simply diminishing, but it can go all the way to "what on earth is this?" becoming more pronounced.
- Over-Attenuation: With prolonged lagering, the yeast might continue to ferment residual sugars, resulting in an overly dry beer. This can also lead to a thinner mouthfeel, which may not be desirable for the styles you were aiming for.
- Yeast Autolysis: We kept the worst for last. Fear incarnate. If dead yeast cells break down, they can release off-flavors into the beer, such as meaty or rubbery notes. Ain't nobody drinking that.
As in enjoying beer, so in crafting it, you have to remember that moderation is key. It's already time consuming and quite demanding to reach the point of lagering your brew. Don't sleep on protecting your brew during it!
Enjoy your weekend responsibly and remember to join us next week for some more Ale Abbey news!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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