As promised, here are some juicy updates from the Emerald Kingdom side of things!

1) Our base alpha user interface design has been completed, and shipped off to the Art Department for the final breakdown. Once done, it will be handed to our development department, so they can fit it into the client. Let’s take a look:

Note the completed details of the status, color scheme, iconography.. (Right Click > View Image in the lightbox to see a proper view. )

As you can see here, a number of things which were formerly roughed in before, are now sorted and perfected. The user status in the upper left corner has been finalized, and we have most of the iconography in place.

Another thing worth noting is that we have also put a color scheme into place. We felt that the green was easiest on the eyes, but still quite functional. The gear icon in the upper right is for preferences, the swirl arrow in the left corner will function in such a way that, no matter what you have open, clicking there returns you to the main view.

Something else you may notice: we have put into place, the quickbar icons on the middle bottom of the window. These will eventually allow for you to customize your attack shortcuts. But there’s more: when configuring them, they will function as a flyout, so you can set up chained attack patterns.

If you want to see just how far the UI has come, take a look here, from the last time we spoke about the UI.

The other thing we did, was we designed the Inventory tab. The inventory tab will probably see a few revisions during Alpha testing, but we think we put together a good solid starting point. As per usual, there are a few things to note here. Namely that:

You can see the map view. This will be implemented in such a way as to keep you informed about what’s going on around you. It will also have proximity warnings: it will flash yellow, and then red depending on how close the baddies are to you.

The rest of it is fairly explanatory. The icons at the top of the list are for sort functions, and the icons on the top of what will be the mannequin box are for loadouts. The icons on either side of the mannequin box are for equipped gear. The big icons on the bottom of the mannequin box are, in order: Carts. Equipped Bag. Pet. Eventually, Carts will be usable, and stack-able or “caravan enabled”…i.e: if you need to move stuff from one location to another, you can set up auto carts which follow you across the wilderness. Of course, you would be risking the cargo. A good idea will be to make sure you have protection. The bag equipped will indicate the bag type you have. Different bag types carry different amounts of stuff. Pet should be fairly obvious. =)

All in all, we’re pretty confident in the UI so far. We think it sets some good precedents for the things to come.

2) Conventions, and the things you will see there! Not too much going on in June, or July really. But come August…we’re going to be quite busy. One of the things you’ll be able to score? Artwork. Uriel has been working on a new set of Art Nouveau styled prints. There will be a set of three, but here is a sneak peek of the first one featuring Avatea:

Avatea in the Art Nouveau style. Hot.

The other two will be Gremmies and Beatrice. Be sure to look for them. They will be available at Wizard World, as well as some other cons. We will be sending a few of these out to folks. But you will be able to buy them when you see them at cons.

3) Guess what’s in FULL PRODUCTION? Twin Perennial! That’s right. Your first real step into the world of Emerald Kingdom, Magna and the Sprites has been put into full production. Twin Perennial will be released in the “Moving Comic” format, and is designed to get your feet wet in the story, and more importantly the world of Emerald Kingdom. We’ve begun building the graphic assets for this, as well as starting the voice over work. We are also working on casting a few more of the roles. But allow me to stop blabbing, let me show you some of the stuff being worked on…

First our wonderful new intern, Arael did some storyboards. The Storyboards are based off the re-written scripts for Twin Perennial. The first episode contains a narrative which introduces the story, and lays the foundation for the story, so the storyboards (and backgrounds you will see after) are static scenes, used to set up the current state of affairs.

Background, based on the Storyboard.

The next thing that starts to happen is, Keeran, our other nifty Intern begins to paint backgrounds from the Storyboards. These are turning out awesome so far as well. One of the things we’re going for, is a bit of a rough look, especially when dealing with past events, memories, etc.

As Keeran paints backgrounds, Arael is busy building parts for an animation library, so Xaphan can take all the pieces, and get busy animating things in flash. All the while, we are busy trying to get the rest of the parts cast, and doing the recording.

In closing, it’s moving along nicely. We’re happy with the direction. Twin Perennial will run for 10 episodes. Episode one and two are currently in the works, and more will follow.

In other news, if you have not already signed up for VShift, you should really do so. We’re always looking for solid feedback and chit chat. We always welcome newcomers, and we look forward to hearing from you. So be sure to head on over and sign up today!