Nightly Wanderings (v10)

Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2023
Echo of the Wilds Game Banner
Genre: Adventure, Indie
Developer: caiys
Release Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2014
Hey echo strands, fresh and old. I managed to catchup with some Let's Plays recently which always gets those creative almonds activating. Not a huge content update this one, but some nice new bits and bobs and changes to make the wilds more wildly but agreeable to explore.

More Time To Die


The biggest change is perhaps there's now a bit more time to play around with each day. Previously you had 4 time slots which has now been extended to 5, though you'll need to pack your torch as the extra time takes place at twilight. Previously I felt the smaller areas were under-used as they tend to have to compete against the larger areas brimming with resources, but now each day you can squeeze in an extra visit to one of these smaller areas.

Funky Tunes


In the Homely Oddity you can now find a Radio to take home or carry around if you wish. When switched on it will randomly play from 11 new funky music tracks made by the talented Antti Luode. Drop it off at your camp for a nice little welcome when traveling back to your wildly home. And if you fancy listening to more of Antti's music you can check them out here: https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandid=1277008

Status Doc


A Status Screen has been added from your docket which offers your current run stats to hand, such as days, map complete percentage, etc. The main reason for adding it though was to add descriptions for all the various status effects, which previously you could only guess what they did. Carryable items that have some sort of effect will now also show as a status effect (eg when carrying Fragranced Flowers or an Amulet).

New Areas


Some new small areas to explore.
- Restless Marker: Two of these exist, one that increases your maximum Stamina and another to increase your maximum Thirst.
- Chestly Cave: Two extra storage chests you can teleport to to keep your camp nicely decluttered.
- Endly Outgrowth: Has some very special wood that temporarily at least removes the burden of firing up your camp fire each night.

New Furniture


I mainly just wanted to add some new visual ways of making your camp feel a little more comfily homely.
- Raised Bed: Provides extra storage and prevents some stamina loss when sleeping.
- Bed Shelter: Prevents some stamina loss when sleeping in rain/snow.
- Fire Pit: Replaces the old Leaf Hood, and increases the burn worth of items chucked on the fire.
- Flower Pots: Prevents and cures any overnight illnesses.
- Viney Lights: Provides some light to your camp at night.

Camp Furniture Changes


- Mixery Bowl: Added Con Carne and Vindaloo recipes. Bloodied Hearts now require two Purity Flowers.
- Mulchery Bin: The chance of rotten items becoming Flawless Fertiliser is now based on how many worms/maggots are in the bin.
- Growy Patch: You can now plant the crop items (eg a potato/carrot/flower which will turn into a mature root). You can no longer plant or use fertiliser during Winter.

Area Changes


- Each of the four talisman altar areas now hide a new secret amulet which each do some useful things (eg the Sunlit Amulet allows you to travel to an extra Explore area each morning).
- Ashy Altar: The secret amulet effect now instead allows you to learn bushcraft recipes without bestowing anything.
- Rocky Gateway: Tweaked the design of the pedestal so it's easy to see the counter markings. Added a hint when viewing the colossus statue. Adding a bird to the Forests map icon, and a frog to the Marshes map icon to give a further hint.
- Plains Gateway: Tweaked the bestowith text to reference "foodling" so you don't waste your time fetching non-food items.
- Jungly Altar: Extended the intro story scene to emphasise the importance of the area (since it will probably be the first altar area you find). Added extra hint descriptions to the orb and floor holes based on the puzzle progression. Added examinables to the sunrise decorations so it's clear they have meaning.
- Rocky Altar: Extended the intro story scene. The tablet pieces no longer behave like items to pick up, instead you just view them by examining their mantle. Added examinables to the wall diagrams so it's clear they have meaning. The right-side of the path has it's room horizontally flipped so it's easier to navigate. Added some spooky foreground spectres.
- Cavern Altar: The maze rooms closest to the maze's entrance now have the tentacle effect to help discern the route.
- Plains Altar: Added a hint when examining the constellation referencing where you may see the completed version.
- Highlands: Added an extra sign post message hinting using a spade may be useful.
- Growy Allotments: Added a Rootly Storage box (can store 12 roots). Same changes as the Growy Patch.
- Orchard Shrubbery: You can now bestow Gold Sprinkles, Engolden Hunk and goldy Astral Orbs to the altar which each affect the berry regrowth chance differently.
- Astral Sanctum: A few of the pedestals can no longer be interacted with (the types of Astral Orbs available are randomised based on the day and time).
- Foresty Sculpture: Rotated the orientation of the dots so it's rather less confusing.
- Appley Tree: Added a message hinting at its fertilising desires. Fertilising the tree without it having a heart will no longer have an effect.
- Treasure Cove: Added chance of the booty having Engolden Hunk items, which can be bashed to give 3 Golden Nuggets.
- Homely Oddity: Reduced the chance of Junk Meals respawning. Using the doorway will now invoke black spirits in the area you appear in.

Miscellaneous Changes


- Gamepad - Analogue Stick: Increased the running threshold so it's easier to walk. Increased the Up/Down deadzone so it's harder to accidentally interact with a world object.
- Re-added the old sleepwalking after each dream to better connect the story scenes and give you a bit of extra free time.
- Daily weather/status effects are a bit more common now, and added 2 more (Bleak Malaise, Blossom Winds).
- Mind Map: Changed how time is visually represented to make it more intuitive. Added a gold lintel to each of the areas that contain a Talisman Piece (otherwise it can be easy to ignore the Humongous Head).
- Parchment has been renamed to Mindly Map so it's more evident it's a very useful item to craft. It's also a bit more involving to craft as you now also need a feather, which you can grab from the new bird nests (alongside a little egg to griddle for breckie).
- Paper messages will always now be added to the Journal after being read, even if you haven't yet found the Homely Oddity area.
- Added Rotting Fruits which is now what fruits rot to, and is a better fertiliser than Rotting Veg.
- Blue Spiny: Can no longer be used on larger trees.
- Powdery Majica: Changed several items to make things more interesting (eg woods change into other woody items instead of just turning into Purity Flowers).
- Astral Orb: Red orbs will now give a selection of meaty delights. Green orbs will now rejuvenate all camp flora.
- Removed the Spiral Stalk and Coconut Flask as the drilling mechanic was rather irrelevant.
- Rather a lot of bug fixes and some other minor bits and bobs.



Note save files from the previous version of the game should work fine if you just fancy having a gander at the new stuff pronto.

Enjoy! :>

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