Alpha 2: A Closer Look
Once again, testers have waved goodbye to Palia 🙋♀️. This time, it was to bid farewell to our most recent playtest phase, Alpha 2.
Alpha Tester Whirl waving at us from their home.
After our Pre-Alpha playtest, we showed you a little bit of what testers accomplished with their interior design. After Alpha 1, we showcased even more home decor and took you on a tour of some of Palia’s other features like fishing, friendship, and pie-baking—lots of pie-baking. For Alpha 2, we’d like to bring you in for a closer look at the carefully crafted details of Palia's world.
Home Decor
Playtesters enjoyed the variety of Palian furniture sets, but what they especially loved are the decorations that go with that furniture! Alpha 2 introduced new furniture sets as well as plenty of decor items for testers to try.
"It was so nice to finally wake up to my home today ✨ Time to decorate!"
-LunarLeo
A beautiful use of lighting by Anitsirhc to highlight this Mid Century Modern chair.
There can never be enough plushies. Left to right captured by: Mushy, Salad, Astro.
A planter featured in Sunny’s home.
"Absolutely in love with the decorating in this game in general, but particularly all the small objects I'm learning to craft right now. I don't think I've even crafted everything yet. Cannot put into words how happy this makes me feel!"
-Miri
Pictured here is the new “Fancy Throne” in Anitsirhc's home, a long-anticipated request from testers.
ICYMI: This derpy handmade Sernuk (modeled after one of the creatures of Palia) in Sunny's garden has been a staple of Palia since Pre-Alpha.
Fencing, on the other hand, was a new system for Alpha 2! Carl was one of a handful of testers who devoted their entire home plot to creating a maze out of fences.
"I'm amazed at how great the fence placement is. Always looks good, no matter how long the stretch is."
-bettafisch
When you put Derpy Sernuks and fences together, you get this magnificent creation by Weeb.
There was another exciting, long-requested addition developers included for Alpha 2: the ability to place aquariums and terrariums for the creatures you catch right in your home!
A cute cricket and a gorgeous Gillyfin in the home of Miri Sunt Dracones.
"I LOVE THESE DISPLAYS SO MUCH! Can't wait to see how many I can stack!"
-Ederyn
Gardening & Cooking
Another popular activity for our testers was Gardening. Gardening is a relaxing way to hang out in Palia from the comfort of your home, and there are lots of uses for the crops you produce.
Some favorite crops: Blueberries, Tomatoes, & Wheat. Captured by Miri Sunt Dracones.
All these garden goodies are making us hungry! They make us think of the home-cooked meals created in our testers’ kitchens, ready for friends passing by.
Table spread and tasty treats cooked up by Ashelyn.
Another table spread featuring decor and delicious bites crafted by Shyloh.
That’s it, we’re getting ramen tonight. Captured by June.
The Characters of Palia
As you forage, mine, and craft your way through Palia, many characters will be there to guide you. For Alpha 2, testers were able to let us know their thoughts on the NPC’s new animations, voice-overs, questlines, and relationships!
Hassian and his trusty sidekick, Tau, can often be found investigating the land. Captured by Chubbles.
"OMG YOU GAVE HASSIAN A DOGGO COMPANION?!"
-Cae
Reth, the local chef who works at the Inn. It’s no secret he’s wild for soup. Captured by Otter.
"Reth has made me blush so much with his dating lines."
-Xula
Zeki is the General Store merchant, who has a suspicious edge with a sweet spot for gold. Captured by Allysdelta.
Although Einar doesn’t quite understand humans, he remains one of our most romanced characters. Captured by hyliaznrezzi.
"Just wanted to say I appreciate how interconnected the villagers are, and how you can pick up little hints of their individual storylines to come when you talk to other villagers and they mention someone. It really helps with the small town feel."
-morsecodex
Catching All The Bugs!
And in this case, we don’t mean insects 🐞. We present to you now, gentle reader, the “best of” technical bugs that kept our developers humble.
Floating Objects
Captured by Faelystiri.
In Alpha 1 it was floating pies and ramen, in Alpha 2 it was floating…everything. We’re pretty sure this wasn’t Faelystiri’s intended home design! Logging out and in again would often help this bug, but it was still quite the sight for players returning from a day of foraging.
Stacking Insects & Fishes
Is it possible to love aquariums and terrariums too much? We put our Alpha 2 testers to the task of answering this age-old question.
Clockwise from top left: Bumbles, SmugMug, Kelpie, Wilbo, Charlie, PastelPanda.
It did not take testers long to find new and creative uses for these display cases. Sadly, we will have to limit the amount of stackable aquariums and terrariums in the future for better server performance!
"I super love the bug and fish displays. It makes it feel way more rewarding and like I've accomplished something cool! Also super love the way the piranhas look in their little tanks! 😍"
-TardisKnight
Little did we know just how much TardisKnight loved those piranhas when they discovered a glitch that allowed them to make an entire ceiling of these tiny teefie fish.
The "Fake PIE Login"
The most notorious of Alpha 2’s errors was the Fake PIE Login. Some players would attempt to login, were instead met with a screen that read "Fake PIE Login", and the game would never load past that screen.
Even though this was frustrating for many people, Palia’s community is proving to be full of amazing, patient, and good-humored humans. Players impacted by this Fake PIE Login error banded together and created their own sub-group in the Discord. There, they compared notes and were able to work collaboratively with developers to get this problem solved quickly!
The group of players that found themselves in “Pie-gatory” stayed in touch, and even commemorated the moment once back in the game by erecting Pie Shrines in their homes. Pictured here are just a few that made the dev team chuckle.
Created by ArrEyePie.
Created by Whirl.
"Just got un-FakePied and ready to get back into the game, but wanted to offer more THANK YOU's to all of the team here ❤️ I was not expecting this bug to be fixed within Alpha 2, not from lack of hope but because bugs are complex and sometimes other things get priority especially at this stage. Thank you for all the communication, all the continued support, for the fix and monitoring the issue."
-Miri
Created by Miri.
The Community of Palia
One of our favorite parts of Palia is learning more about the people who play! Over the past year we’ve come to know many kind-hearted, generous, and hilarious folks who warm our hearts and deliver impeccable feedback. Below are just a few snapshots of Alpha 2 testers coming together to make a cozier world.
Novaelline & crew trying out the new emotes inside the Ormuu’s Horn Inn.
Astro & buddies fishin’ by the dock of the bay.
"Everyone is so friendly and helpful, no matter what issues come up. And to have fun with jokes or chatting about life... It's just such a great community!"
-Aurelia
Just hanging out in a bathtub, like you do.
Grabbing a refreshing drink with friends at the Inn.
"I would just like to thank everyone here who is genuinely helpful. Yesterday I was so sad because things were not working and I got great advice and now I am able to craft again, and level again, it just boosted my spirit so much to have so many jump in and help. Palia has such a wonderful community and I love that. ❤️"
-Rabbitheart
A Palian neighborhood, The Queendom, takes one last group photo before the end of Alpha 2.
We are grateful for our community and playtesters that are helping us make Palia the best it can be. Not all content pictured here will be included at launch and is subject to change, but we're glad our testers are a part of our journey. There is so much more to share - If you would like to be a part of Palia’s growing community, be sure to join our Twitter, Discord, and Instagram for more sneak peeks and details on future playtests!