DevLog 9 - The Market

Overview of The Market

The market designed for Patchwork Pastry has experienced development over the last number of weeks since the beta (and is still in continued development). There are three market stalls in-game, which are filled with unique products for purchase from the afternoon (in-game time) onwards:

1. General Produce Stall (run by Hilda) includes up to three types of flour, powders (baking powder, cinnamon, salt, sugar), oil, and some others
2. Animal Produce Stall (run by Ysoria) includes milk, cream, eggs, cheese, butter, and cream cheese
3. Fruit Market Stall (run by Dough) includes seasonal fruits, herbs, and nuts

Figure 1: Layout and Placement of Dairy and Animal Produce Market Stall

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Setting up the Stalls

Characters taking time to do something is one of the most essential elements in creating a sense of realism in a game world, no matter how cartoon-like or fake the world is meant to be. For this reason, the sellers in Patchwork Pastry hand place each product on display - rather than just spawning all the items at once. All three characters take 0.3 - 0.8 seconds to place each item with slight rotational variance (to prevent looking like a machine placed it). Below are the three layouts with products (all with the same temporary material shader) placed on the market stall carts.

Figure 2: General Produce Seller (Hilda) Temporary Placement

Figure 3: Dairy and Animal Produce Seller (Ysoria) Temporary Placement

Figure 4: Fruit, Vegetable, and Herb Seller (Dough) Temporary Placement 

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Supply and Demand

When the in-game time turns to the afternoon (one of five points in the game-world day, three NPCs head to the market stall to set up their products for the day - Hilda, Ysoria, and Dough). They place their products in unique layouts and quantities such that certain goods (such as flour or eggs) are more readily available than others (such as cheese and butter), but all products are in enough abundance that the players will have enough for a 48-minute day before they need to purchase more.

However, these stalls are also interacted with by the other NPCs who purchase goods from the market throughout the day, which means that the player needs to go to the market when the sellers are just setting up to ensure the player can get all the products they want and need.

That’s all for now! The next devlog is coming on 14th April 2025.

- Stephen Rockett