The Wizard moves in, and the village is rebuilt

Four versions in one week, and almost all of them about looks. The placeholder houses, ground and checkpoints of Realm 1 are gone, replaced by art that finally matches Ash and his friends.

The Wizard’s hut

The plain thatched house in the Sylvaris forest is now a proper wizard’s cottage: a crooked roof topped by a wizard-hat spire, a smoking chimney, glowing round windows, hanging herbs and a lantern. The door is purple wood with a crescent-moon knocker and glowing runes.

Inside is his study: a bookshelf, potions, a star chart, a round window onto the forest and a bubbling cauldron. The ceiling follows the slope of the roof, so Ash bumps his head in the corners. Chimney smoke, cauldron steam and the fire under it are particle effects set up in Tiled, so any house can have them.

The inside of the Wizard's study: bookshelves, potions, a star chart, a cauldron with green steam and the Wizard himself — The Wizard's study, with the cauldron bubbling away.

A new village

Every house in both worlds was rebuilt from two modular sets: a log cabin (round-log walls, shingled roof, stone footing) and a timber-framed plank cottage (weathered planks between oak posts, a mossy roof, arched windows with shutters). Houses can be any width and height, with optional chimneys that smoke, moss, ivy and windows. Sylvanor now mixes both styles.

A plank cottage with a mossy roof, glowing windows and a shop sign hanging from the corner — A plank cottage in Sylvanor, with its shop sign.

A log cabin with a red shingled roof and a smoking chimney — A log cabin, also in Sylvanor.

Shops hang a wooden sign from the corner of the house (a sword and shield, a potion, a bed) so you can tell what’s inside from the street. Inside, items rest on a counter. Hearth fires are hand-animated flames instead of round glowing particles.

The tavern of Sylvanor from inside: a stone fireplace with a live fire, the innkeeper and the inn bed — The new tavern, with a fire that really burns.

Crystal Stones

The placeholder flags are gone: checkpoints are now Crystal Stones, a stone pedestal with an elven rune and a floating shard of the Crystal Heart. The crystal only glows on the stone where you’ll come back if you die. To save, Ash has to stop on it: running or jumping past one no longer saves by accident.

New ground, and a higher camera

The dirt and rock are redrawn: dark natural soil with pebbles and roots, and big grey stones for the bedrock below. The tiles are now 64×64 textures, so the ground no longer shows a grid, and platforms match it. The camera sits a little higher, showing less ground under Ash and more of what’s ahead. Far behind the forest, a hazy mountain range now scrolls slower than the trees.

And also

Trees and plants stay visible (dimmed) when you’re inside a building.
Grass and bushes bend by sliding in strips, so their base stays planted.
Every item has a real pixel-art icon: shield, armour, boots, honey, lantern and keys.

By the numbers

24 commits.
Versions 0.22.0, 0.23.0, 0.24.0 and 0.25.0.