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We return once again with another Dev Blog! July is coming to an end, and while some of you might be experiencing some warm temperatures, we hope you find ways to stay cool since VR in the summer can be a bit uncomfortable. As we like to keep certain things under wraps until the right time to show them off to the community, this month's dev blog will be slightly different from the previous months. 

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## Games That Inspired Our Careers

__Arthur | President and Chief Creative Officer__

Since we are keeping some of what we have been up to a bit secretive this month, I thought we could get some of the team to talk about what game inspired them to get into the game development. Though we asked each person to cover a single game for themselves, there are a couple that I will cover for myself.

The first game for me that made me interested in the idea of making a game at a a young age was Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo. I remember the first time I played it was when we went to spend the summer with our Dad, and he rented a few games for us DKC was one of them along with Zool and Rise of the Robots. Geoff, Xander, and Dad had gone to sleep and I stayed up to play DKC, when I got to level 2, Ropey Rampage, combined with the actual storm outside, it really brought me into the game. The music and art for the game were amazing to me.

The second one that really got me into trying to mod and making my own games in High School was BattleZone, it hit at a time where we were starting to learn how to 3d model and animate. The levels were huge and the mixed FPS and RTS modes were such a cool feature. We had a HOTAS that we played the game with and it was about the most immersive thing I was playing at the time. 

Here are some of the games that inspired some of the other team members.

![unknown](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/2mBtOh9nnQbG4v4REz0ieZ/bec6f7c1d8d1879cc665ca6b52cd00e6/unknown.png)

![unknown](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/2c9M1skKK5nJbE2XADXxX1/0ea658e74c1ac130570be69f5236acb3/unknown.png)

__Tyler | Chief Executive Officer__

*While I can’t say that any particular game inspired my passion for business, I can say that I fell in love with a little game called Final Fantasy on the NES as a kid so deeply that it inspired my love of gaming in general. Even back then, my desire to play video games with other people was very strong. To the point of walking my NES to my friend’s house down the street, taking the old 12” TV his dad had in the garage, plugging it in next to the TV in their living room, and playing Final Fantasy with him side by side in ‘multiplayer mode’. As far as technology however in my previous life as a Software Engineer; I learned how to code when I was asked if I wanted to help make content for a MUD I played a ton which was written in a customized version of C, which after a while led me to traditional C++ and C#.*

![unknown (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1V30uxZgXBVX5wxSz1XSWp/002f10199a10d41d8f04a455f0db27b2/unknown__3_.png)

__Jared | Developer__

*My first playthrough of Doom(1993) had an effect on me as a 9yr old kid. Sometime the following year I found out this game had something called “Mods” and “Level editors” which was unheard of at the time.  I was hooked and soon started creating my own Doom levels and mods.  This was the starting point for me to go from “Game Player“ to “Game Maker”.*

![unknown (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/TZQAZY8v1HEDyB8i3B5lU/617ef7a8a69b46a67cdd4617b09aa8eb/unknown__2_.png)

__Jason G | Developer__

*The game that got me interested in game development was the original Super Mario Bros. It was more than just the game, though. It was seeing my father pick it up and figure out not only how to play it with little to no instruction but figure out the advanced tricks as well. It made me want to create games that enable that experience of discovery and mastery.*

![unknown (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1EpdcYCXibxBwYKsWiPvli/a77667f9114884b42f0050635460dafd/unknown__1_.png)

__Kyle | Narrative Writer__

*Mass Effect 2 showed me what could be portrayed through dialogue and characters. The interactions and choices that you got to make in that game helped me see that NPCs could be three-dimensional personalities rather than just props intended to give directions and kill bad guys. I knew that if I was going to work on a game, I wanted players to have the same sort of connections, through dialogue and character personalities, that I did.*

![unknown](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/7Af0LE6edJxqWgsdypU0ya/7126a8e718cdabb2c32f4e2c6bdd8c19/unknown.png)

__Kevin | Character Artist__

*Bullet Witch was really the game that inspired my career as a Character Artist. Growing up a Nintendo kid, I had no idea a character could look so badass, and 12-year-old me made it his mission to want to make characters as cool as Alicia. The game was awful, though. XD*

![Kevin](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3GQgJTtntpm8WnsS0R6sS6/a8e704df55e2b737505acf4aa5e1f148/Kevin.png)

__Seth | Character Artist__

*League of Legends was really the first game that inspired me to want to pursue a career in Character Art. I fell in love with the overall art style, stylization and color palettes of the champions and skins when I was 12 and knew I wanted to create characters. After seeing the Heimerdinger sculpting video on YouTube when I was 13 and attending the 'Champion Update' panel at PAX East 2014 was what really solidified me wanting to become a Character Artist!* 

![Seth](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6i8qImwHGyvmrSqmXTw4VN/a65d4236258e8db391fae6480b012098/Seth.png)

__Pam | 3D Artist__

*The game that made me realize I could take my artwork and create whatever worlds I wanted was Portal 2. When I was a sophomore in high school my dad built a gaming PC for us to share and downloaded Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Portal 2. Being the terminally online child I was who saw a billion "the cake is a lie" memes, I immediately went for Portal 2. I played that game about 10 times over... I loved the silliness of the characters and the world and how they could take it and tell such an amazing story of things forgotten for the sake of moving on using silly murderous robots. I wanted to be able to let people experience stories like that, and soon after I joined a game jam with a friend and began that journey!*

![unknown (4)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/64q1NGYpbHjvbEzs5kCk5K/e092e6cde83b557aa46b787a4d6f8ae5/unknown__4_.png)

__Abbie | 3D Artist__

*I would say the title that got me into game art was God of War. Early in high school watching the "Making of God of War", that was the first time I ever saw game art being created. It was the first time I sat down and thought about the work that went into games, haha I remember thinking “that looks way too difficult for me!” (and some people agreed), but I was also super intrigued. I wasn't convinced to go into game art until I got older and saw the game awards stream for the first time. Seeing the audience's reactions to those games, the collective excitement and thrill, the gasps when they saw beautiful environments being revealed… it made me think, “That's it, That's the field I want to be a part of.” But Silent Hill is my fav game :)*

![unknown (5)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/7ooDCkmpeJsC2NFbwccJDQ/a9e27a69bb7998136addedf1a6a74e8c/unknown__5_.png)

__Sam | Community Manager__

*I got heavily involved in the Beat Saber community helping run Beat Saber YouTube content focusing on competitive plays and tournaments while volunteering my time managing the community Discord. I really enjoyed the player connections, general discussion, and community as a whole and wanted to build on that more. While I've always been a gamer at heart, I thrived best at creating positive communities for the games I love to play! I realized through my previous volunteer experience with VR and TTRPG groups that I wanted to be a community manager for a studio.* 

![BS](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/2DnfufWVcEuDFQdCWvXykI/1fb9f1217b19272b40bc4d0671a77cd9/BS.png)

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## Community Showcase

We continue the blog tradition of showing off some of the amazing art from our community! If you'd like to submit artwork for our next Dev Blog, be sure to join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia) and post in our Ilysia Fan Art channel! 

 ![nymph7178 04](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6JsWqSUlH2zxQTkdvdAIqh/11f5727b936700ab768638b42b1be981/nymph7178_04.png) By nymph#7178

![Vaeriana4417 01](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/33kZ4k4nmHMjgiDoe86Q12/8cd049f38acdf3257634b4e09b1f9dcb/Vaeriana4417_01.png) By Vaeriana#4417

![Khano9564 01](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6EN84YrI2u5YzM1RXdTpcl/92ae5867b8cbe60c85ea19ffda562371/Khano9564_01.png) By Khano#9564

![Rufoid1996 04](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3NSFvRRRGHRcDDx4bdYOip/66953618c69c8d1d2dba8861fef7a92f/Rufoid1996_04.jpg) By Rufoid#1996

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## See you next month! 

Thank you all for reading this months blog! If you havent already, feel free to check out our other socials and join our Discord community! 

💠 [Website](https://ilysiavr.com/)
💠 [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ilysiavr/)
💠 [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia)

Dev Blog - July 2022 

Dev Blog (1080 × 720 px) (1)

![Dev Blog - June](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6eKZsR727GXlqG2zMPpgGs/d981c5630b915b69e829ed0171e6b4cf/Dev_Blog__1014____200_px___3_.png)

Summer has arrived for many of us, and we hope everyone is enjoying its start! We are ending the month of June with our latest Dev Blog! 

As a short reminder, we’ll be releasing these at the end of each month to make sure our community is up to speed with the happenings of our team as we continue the development of Ilysia. 

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# ICYMI: More Additions To The Team! 
I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest additions to Team 21 Studio! Please join me in welcoming Norm and Kyle! 

Some short and sweet words from Norm: 
*"Navy vet, Fullsail Grad, and alum of Cartoon Network, EA Sports(Madden console & mobile), Zynga Sports 365, Fanduel, CastAR, and more.  Loves gaming, programming, APA billiards, his gorgeous lady, and his kids."*

And some words from Kyle who is joining our narrative team: 
*“I’ve known that I wanted to do storytelling since I had any concept of career goals. Creating a world and characters that people can develop a connection with feels like a worthwhile pursuit to me. I got a degree in creative writing, as well as a minor in theater, from the University of Nevada, Reno. I’ve worked with groups local to my area, such as indie filmmakers or a dance troupe, as well as creative groups with members living across the country and world. I’m thrilled to be a part of this team and tell some engaging tales within this fantasy world everyone has been passionately working on to bring to life.”*

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# Development Update 
 *Hi everyone, Arthur here,*

 *Alpha 2 was a smashing success! We had thousands of players show up, they helped our team tackle some bugs, and gave us some great feedback to aid us in our steps to Beta 1.  Our dev team has been hard at work getting creating new features for players to test, some of those being mounts, new classes, player-owned content, a PvP zone, increasing draw distance for mobile VR, and more of the social aspects that players come to expect from MMORPGs.*

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# World and Character Building - What has the art team been up to?

Last month we looked at what it takes to go from concept art to in-game assets. This month we dive a little deeper into new projects the team has been up to. 

Introducing The Igara, these creatures began life as a redesign of our Tokas, seen in Alpha 2, but we decided to make them a new mob instead and leave the Toka as the smaller and cuter mobs they already were.

![The Igara](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/74U9P2aXz1LgjWbd93ZBIe/235cf320e756ef567c8f0dcd8ac6440e/The_Igara.png)

Additionally, Our character artists have been adding to our already wonderful avatars, creating new hairstyles and avatar customization options, as well as adding two new races that will appear in our upcoming Beta 1.

![Elf hair](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/4oG7VgmvOiz4H8eKZ4f6lq/eb3f3e0b82ccacd9ee90236fd68d3f9c/unknown__2_.png)

From Seth, one of our Character Artists:

*"My main inspiration in concepting these hairstyles was looking at modern trends for braiding hair as well as gaining inspiration from Viking culture and hairstyles! I wanted to play with different silhouettes and styles while still making sure they feel connected and belonged together in the same realm for the Elves. I am excited for the players to see the finished styles!"*

From concept art to in-game assets, our art team continues to flesh out the world of Ilysia by introducing unique flora and terrain props to the world. Below are some examples of flora you might come across in the game! 

![unknown](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/5p9VAyg3M27K8AvmQHi0Wz/1ca792cb15757c5d8665f7c50b9496bb/unknown.png)

![unknown (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/5ObkYDgLkgrY45XyJNtFzV/827d515e2c90e4c10530697facaaf8ac/unknown__1_.png)

And last but not least! Some Toka environmental prop concept art! 

![unknown (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6aqMqmJ8rNgiPb5fI7Lj10/8c1eebf63d6a526cb4228662c2047b50/unknown__3_.png)

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#Music That Motivates

It doesn't matter if you are writing code from scratch, working on a cool new character design, modeling game assets, or sculpting terrain. We all need music from time to time to either motivate us or keep us going late into the night. Our team is made up of a diverse group of people and our taste in music can be just as diverse. We asked each team member what their current top three songs are at the moment and this is what they came up with.

__Arthur | President and Chief Creative Officer__

- [One Slip - Pink Floyd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOPNa753e1E&ab_channel=Vini0784)
- [The Widow Maker (feat Gunship) - Carpenter Brut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3i7tcZ-szI&ab_channel=CarpenterBrut)
- [Moonwalking In Calabasas - DDG](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSo-MVAADyo&ab_channel=DDG)

__Xander | Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer__

- [Lizzo - Grrrls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r9TbKLCus0&ab_channel=LizzoMusic)
- [Cafe Music - Ghibli Jazz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jWRrafhO7M&t=9s&ab_channel=CafeMusicBGMchannel)
- [Breathe Carolina - Sweet Dreams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lles_PvHqAk&ab_channel=Spinnin%27Records)

__Geoffrey | Co-Founder and Chief Narrative Officer__

- [New Cydonia - Starcadian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rmBZOAyKAk&ab_channel=NewRetroWave)
- [Kiss me more (ft. SZA) - Doja Cat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EVVKs6DQLo&ab_channel=dojacatVEVO)
- [Release the Kraken - Ninja Sex Party](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4itm0SRxAro&ab_channel=NinjaSexParty)

__Tyler | Chief Executive Officer__

- [Bedtime intimacy - Das Mortal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ0rCjCQ9rE&ab_channel=DasM%C3%B6rtal-Topic)
- [Them Changes by Thundercat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNCd_ERZvZM&ab_channel=Brainfeeder)
- [Crockett's Theme - Roundheads remix](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AqTB30d-Mc&ab_channel=Welcometothe%2780s)

__Jared | Developer__

- [Nothing More - Turn it up Like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbWr515vhkw&ab_channel=BetterNoiseMusic)
- [I Prevail - Body Bag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEzYKLLUAI4&ab_channel=IPrevailVEVO)
- [Sabaton - Stormtroopers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8H5vUKMlk&ab_channel=Sabaton)

__Josh | Developer__

- [Live in the Moment - Portugal. The Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hha0bwVvGmY&ab_channel=Portugal.TheMan)
- [Doses & Mimosas - Cherub](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E45fogGN_Y8&ab_channel=CHERUBVEVO)
- [The Distance - Cake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_HoMkkRHv8&ab_channel=CakeVEVO)

__Samer | Developer__

- [Flight’s booked - Drake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb24kZ0fiEA&ab_channel=DrakeVEVO)
- [TDB - OBOY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oh3knWDBnA&ab_channel=OBOY)
- [Greece - DJ Khaled](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMlBB2pK5qo&ab_channel=DJKhaledVEVO)

__Jason G | Developer__

- [Code Monkey - Jonathan Coulton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBld6I_AKs&ab_channel=JonathanCoulton-Topic)
- [Dare To Be Stupid - Weird Al](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMhwddNQSWQ&ab_channel=alyankovicVEVO)
- [Hikari - Death Devil](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t08uisWILAg&ab_channel=HuiJS)

__Norm | Developer__

- [Pump It - Black Eyes Peas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaI2IlHwmgQ&ab_channel=BlackEyedPeasVEVO)
- [Aerial Boundaries - Michael Hedges](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIN13aDbCc&ab_channel=type3secretion)
- [Shatter Me - Lindsey Sterling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49tpIMDy9BE&ab_channel=LindseyStirling)

__Jason S | Developer__

- [Dreaming Of Ghosts - Not Real Anymore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvI4QWoekl0&ab_channel=RobotKoch)
- [Flume ft. Vera Blue - Rushing Back (Ekko & Sidetrack Bootleg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG5lss65JkM&ab_channel=UKFDrum%26Bass)
- [Wilkinson & Becky Hill - Here For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY2IB2gGC14&ab_channel=UKFDrum%26Bass)

__Kyle | Narrative Writer__

- [Lord of the Rings - The Shire](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LML6SoNE7xE&ab_channel=Escapemusicmovies)
- [Remastered Music and Ambience - Sunset in Hobbiton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBmbI8dzc-M&ab_channel=AmbientWorlds)
- [1 Hour of Celtic Forest Music - For The Pack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yTLaqO5kmA&ab_channel=AdrianvonZiegler)

__Ralph | Environmental Artist__

- [My Dear Frodo - The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxbxNuVYOPw&ab_channel=jediking12)
- [A Gift of Thistle - James Horner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrjSLW0zfts&ab_channel=Tim0N)
- [Hand in Hand - Lorne Balfe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezh4lIexd70&ab_channel=LorneBalfe-Topic)

__Kevin | Character Artist__

- [Ignorance - Paramore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9A6tn_P6g&ab_channel=Paramore)
- [Goose - Polyphia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVSqUl-FtCI&ab_channel=Polyphia)
- [Greenlights - Krewella](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2dgChEZA4M&ab_channel=Krewella)

__Seth | Character Artist__ 

- [honey - Halsey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4akyJGZqjFg&ab_channel=HalseyVEVO)
- [frown - mxmtoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlxtYyIdXgM&ab_channel=mxmtoon)
- [Good Advice - Peach Tree Rascals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPfmqJOx66s&ab_channel=PeachTreeRascals)

__Pam | 3D Artist__

- [CO1N - LVL 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfIKIr9RgnY&ab_channel=LVL1VEVO)
- [After The Storm (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Bootsy Collins) - Kali Uchis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f5zD7ZSNpQ&ab_channel=KaliUchisVEVO)
- [Washing Machine Heart - Mitski](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vjkh-acmTE&ab_channel=MitskiVEVO)

__Abbie | 3D Artist__

- [tryna smoke - jhene aiko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ov6tH8KSvY&ab_channel=Jhen%C3%A9Aiko)
- [2late - iyla](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fA9EmDl8nY&ab_channel=iyla)
- [diva - princess nokia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI66CjACJsU&ab_channel=PrincessNokiaVEVO)

__Sam | Community Manager__

- [To The Hellfire - Lorna Shore](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyYmS_iBcy4&ab_channel=CenturyMediaRecords)
- [Fear of Falling Asleep - TENDER](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15I4DzkaX2E&ab_channel=TenderVEVO)
- [Hate Me! - MASN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF1LWTHOdg0&ab_channel=MASN)

__Justin | Composer__

- [Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen - The Traveller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXLaVQ4YgzQ&ab_channel=Epidemic)
- [Kirill Pokrovsky - Bittersweet Regrets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=donHFxrLyT8&ab_channel=AuraofMana)
- [Danheim - Runar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bHvk2hQXoY&ab_channel=Danheim)

Why yes, I did in fact place all these songs into a YouTube playlist and it might just be the most chaotic thing in existence, enjoy! 

👉 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6mhsVZoqnl6mNPfgcQXVYrAymk7RlKuK

---

# Community Spotlight

Our Discord continues to grow and we’ve recently reached 10k users! If you’re not in our [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia), we highly encourage you to join us! Talk about all things Ilysia, VR, and other various topics.

Not only do you get to meet others excited about Ilysia, it’s also an opportunity to score a key for our upcoming Beta. Users can self-assign the giveaway role for a chance to be entered in the drawings when they surface! 

We also on occasion host some hilarious game nights with the community and encourage users to jump into those as well! 

Now thats out of the way, let's take a peek at some community artwork! We are going back a bit to showcase some older pieces that at the time didn't get the spotlight they deserve! 

![Nervly7805 02](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/7MQ6488V6WHyySv4BvJ892/6fe06927206b2ccbf8ea7645ee28cc7e/Nervly7805_02.png)Drawing by Nervly#7805

![Tahgoomy5934 01](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1wFRhbEEIspoKFrDZg9suX/3639011b54c8ea48ca3e277269c1c35c/Tahgoomy5934_01.png)Drawing by Tahgoomy#5934

![rafamalafa8705 01](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3f2mTRMclU9iTjdjrTIvoL/935a9274e34b67be835ac6170494549d/rafamalafa8705_01.jpg)Drawing by rafamalafa#8705

![Rufoid1996 04](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3BTSZu3XW2iG0FLI7Uf1eu/7bdf460dbdcca911d55f90605c468dc4/Rufoid1996_04.jpg)Drawing by Rufoid#1996

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# And Thats A Wrap!

Thank you all for reading June Dev blog! Things are going well with the team and we look forward to sharing more in our next blog! 

If you'd like to receieve these blog updates and other Ilysia related news via email, be sure to sign up through our website!

And as always, check out our other socials:

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/ilysiavr) [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia)

~ Sam (Kosmos)

Team 21 Studio, Community Manager

Dev Blog - June 2022

Dev Blog May revised

![Dev Blog Banner](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3UjTLKF0F3CDIkpssexUod/ef45637bf5e4e30b657efb15cc5119ba/Dev_Blog__1014____200_px___1_.png)

Listen, we get it. When in between testing phases, we get a little quiet. Well not anymore! Look no further than this blog! Each month, we’ll be releasing a Dev Blog that will cover various aspects of development with some sneak peeks of what our team has been up to between testing phases, words from the team itself, and highlight some cool stuff happening in the community! 

---

# ICYMI: The Team Continues To Grow

Recently, we brought on Ralph as our new Environmental Artist! Ralph has been in the field for many years and has worked on several AAA titles including the Dark Age of Camelot series, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, Saints Row: The Third, Red Faction: Armageddon, and Elder Scrolls Online. With a passion for creating environmental and fixture/prop art, Ralph aims to create captivating art that incites emotion and produces an immersive experience for the audience. 

  In addition to Ralph joining our team, we've also brought on board two new team members. Seth, our newest character artist, and Jason, our newest developer! 

Please join me in welcoming Seth and Jason to Team 21 Studio!

Words from Seth: 

> “I’ve been playing games since I was a kid and at the age of 11, I knew I wanted to be a character artist for video games. I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design studying Game Design and have been a Character Artist on student projects for two years! Ilysia is the first project I’m joining right out of school and I am so excited to be a part of this amazing team!”

Words from Jason: 

> "I have been enamored with video games since my dad taught me the infinite 1-up trick in Super Mario Bros and I knew early on that I wanted to make them. Thanks to being competitive with my sister, I started teaching myself how to program 15 years ago and learned a variety of languages, settling on C# as my favorite. From JRPGs to MMORPGs, I love all kinds and for the last 5 years, I've had the pleasure of immersing myself in video games on a whole new level. I can't imagine doing anything else."

We are still looking to fill a few more roles to round out the team. If you have an interest, you can head over to [ilysiavr.com/careers](https://ilysiavr.com/careers) to see our current openings! 

---

# Behind The Minds Of Our Art Team

With our new team hires, our art team has been putting together more curated experiences and points of interest in Ilysia as well as updating creatures you’ll see throughout the world. 

We begin by designing locations through concept art. This helps us create a visual representation of what we want to achieve when sculpting the world of Ilysia. From there the team breaks off to work on different aspects of the project. 

Below showcases the creative process from concept art to in-game assets.

![Concept Walkthrough](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3iAOzwjRLGpkS8I1roiVfm/648c2f495b4f3cc8b7bb66bcada384a1/CompScene01__1_.png)

When I sat down with Pam and Abbie on our art team, I asked about their creative process when they begin working on the concepts featured above. Abbie who has been working on a lot of the foliage in the game including the hand-painted Lilly pads and flowers you see had this to say: 

> “I want to make the flowers as approachable as possible so when they (the players) walk into that space, they’re in awe.”

Pam mentioned that she likes to take screenshots and block out certain parts to use as inspiration when sculpting. The results are some beautiful rock formations that you can see in the above image.

Another side of our team is currently working on our character art. Kevin, who you might be familiar with for their work on our revised player models which you saw in our Alpha 2, has also been hard at work revisiting our Tokas. Below you can see some big changes to the design of these creatures. 

![Toka Gif](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1AhwjMXy9aOWHOcsDTqhCb/5017dfc96d7850345e787979e3f1a8ac/T21_TokaWIPpreview.gif)

Seth, one of our Character Artists, has been working on some pretty amazing hairstyles for our player models. Here is a sneak peek at one particular style thats in the works! Seth had this to say when working on the hairstyles: 

> "For me since this is my first VR game, working on the aspect of optimizing the models for VR can be a small challenge at times. Making sure the model is within the game's budget without losing too much of the model's silhouette is key!" 

![Revised Hair Style - Community Blog](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6Jf54A4lNRrqs94mIiCzSv/c6891003a8d5e615140db762a31101b4/unknown__6_.png)

---

# News Regarding Our Patreon

We're also announcing that we have reached a milestone where we are closing down Pateron after 2 years. We want to sincerely thank everyone for their support to get us to a point where we can stand on our own as we move aggressively into Beta. We couldn't have done this without all of your support, and we hope you continue to support us by getting involved in the community, spreading word about this amazing game, and getting as hyped about Ilysia as we are! Feel free to jump into our Discord or follow and interact with us on our socials like Twitter and Facebook! 

To those that have backed on Patreon, you'll receive rewards up till __June 1st 2022__. Following that date, your tiers will be stopped. We'll be updating all Patreon rewards to reflect onto your MagePortal accounts.

We still have two months worth of rewards that are currently being worked on and we'll also let you know once those are posted out! 

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us on [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/ilysia)!

---

# Community Spotlight:

__BEANS!? Why the community has a fascination with them.__

![Dev Blog - Beans meme](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/jxb5ggf6jw5IvuisZnYUh/7ba85ac0189e08ebb4e845473d8f151c/IMG_3457.png)

Look no further than this blog if you’ve missed our community game nights. Since October 2021, we have been running various game nights inside our Discord server every few weeks. Some previous ran games include Amongus, Gartic Phone, Rec Room VR, and Jackbox.  (Note: To get pinged for these types of events, head over to our role-assignment channel in [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia) and grab the event's role!)

 As it happens, placing 20+ people in a drawing game opens doors to some interesting doodles. One of those just happened to be a can of beans at the time. So when you have an entire Discord server talking about beans, it's logical to add it into Ilysia, right?

![Dev Blog - Beans in game](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/2oPmtAfhHP3PePQJz8UL3g/4ef48d628e6a3bafaa76e3d0f9acb6dd/unknown.png)

Somewhere out there in the world of Ilysia sits a random can of beans, with some players successfully finding its __hidden location__ during our Alpha 2 Phase! Now the question is, will its location move during our Beta phase? I wonder… 

---

# Talent, talent everywhere! 

An underrated aspect of our community is the creativity that a lot of our users possess. Trust me when I say this, it does not go unseen when you post your fanart, VR worlds, animations, writing, and yes, your memes. I forward them over to our team often. It’s awesome to see you all so passionate about this game! I wanted to show off some work the community has been up to the past few months with our first fanart showcase!

![Community Artwork 1 ](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/5iwnBoLEtaof418NLqCqqf/ea9468d80daece506abb37daf2e6d854/RhWputO__1_.jpg) 
Created by: LorenzoBane#7279

![Community Artwork 3](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/277aHjXuKiVKTuczR0NK4q/aac1ea4e5f6d5774557db5529795f3c2/IMG_0325.png)
![Community Artwork 2](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3mu3Qx3rCruwrDhvUFBOkw/b76ff98611d163f344b10d291021c903/IMG_0223.png) 
Created by: nymph#7178

![Community Artwork 4 ](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/4EiVGneFQhmqBQ0FOL3Tak/9ea8fef0312c1f481a96d0c6473447b9/IMG_1121.jfif) 
Created by: Rufoid#1996

![Community Artwork 5](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6727Yvfo7SWVjWrSrsCt76/4a09ff42538e44305ba04b2254022168/IMG_0046.png)
Created by: brocoli17#5322

![Community Artwork 6](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1btWYmGSqOhV7mJMxvbTef/7cca0b676f600ef0044f8a624aee4489/photo-output__2_.jpg)
![Community Artwork 7](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/6sBFoh8MGBTlKmog5VrjuS/05609a7f041a81d85bf8230a489e3d83/photo-output.jpg) 
Created by: HotBoiiGenny#4215

> Legends of Lagena 
> 
> Mage of the Tower, Part I 
> 
> The scar of Lagena rose high in the sky, illuminating Ilysia with a constant reminder of their hubris. Large portions of the planet separate from its surface follow the large gash, suspended in its orbit. A dark cloud drifted across its marred ghostly visage. Insects quit their chittering. Bioluminescent flora and fauna of every kind softly blinked out. Plunging the surrounding landscape into darkness. During this short span of time being colorful, loud and bright had its disadvantages against the more predatory of creatures. Usually so visible from the hill, the sprawling forest of coniferous trees were a silhouette of peaks. Belisama Lake Tower, a deeper shadowy blotch against an already dark backdrop. 
> 
> With a sigh of resignation, the young lagenan stood from where he lay on the ground beneath the stars. He brushed the loose grass from his course linen pants and picked up a small cylindrical device from the ground near him. He studied it a moment, feeling his fingers around the top in the darkness. Soon his fingers found a small radial dial knob on top of the device and turned it slowly. It began to hum softly before two thin filaments inside a glass chamber sparked a bright blue and lit up the hilltop. 
> 
> Just then the clouds passed overhead and the whole of Lagena once again bathed the land with its pale blue light. The life of the forest resumed. The boy grimaced as he tapped a small yellow gauge on the lantern. Not looking forward to requisitioning a Thulin recharge from an already tapped supply. “Asher won’t be pleased.” He said to himself, lowering the light and heading down the hill. 
> 
> As he came to the small land bridge the led to the dilapidated towers small island an Andaari boy cut off his advance. “Kalt’an” The boy said in a loud voice that he was obviously trying to muffle, and failed. He adjusted his thin framed glasses, like large clear discs held in a silvery wire. “Master Teriander is looking for you.” The boys elven features always seemed to give the appearance of grave news. His eyebrows turned upward in a permanent panic and the soft white glow of his eyes made it difficult sometimes to discern his intentions. The single points of his gray-blue horns emitted a dull pink light. 
> 
> “Toka-teeth. I know I’m late. I thought I told you to call me Kelt.” The boys deep blue skin blanched before he straightened himself. “Oh, I couldn’t. I’m not even a Tower Mage yet.” 
> 
> Kelt’an placed a relaxed hand on his shoulder. “Soon, Glas. Let’s go see what my father wants.” 
> 
> Inside the decaying structure, another Lagenan stood hunched over an oddly shaped table. Vials and talisman of all sorts lay about its surface in disarray. Suddenly with a growl the man slammed shut a book and whirled toward them, his arm pulled back as to throw a rock he held tightly. Stopping short when he saw the two boys enter. Purple wisps of smoke leaked from a rune etched into the stone. 
> 
> Visibly taking measured breathes to calm himself, he exhaled sharply, looking down at the rock. “Another failure.” He said and turned back to the table. He tossed the stone into a pile of similarly looking stones that were collecting in a bucket at the floor. A few number of them leaking various colors of smoke. “Kelt’an. Glasendri. Master Teriander is in the back room.” He said simply. Facing the table he opened the book once more.

Written by: CouchKnight#3489

__If you'd like to be featured in our next Dev blog, make sure you post your work in our #ilysia-fan-art Discord channel!__

---

# Thank You For Reading! 

While we have to keep much of what we are working on under wraps, we hope these upcoming dev blogs will give you some insight on what the team is up to between our testing phases! We are hard at work preparing for Beta 1 and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as much as possible. Thank you for checking out this blog!

If you havent already, be sure to join our [Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia) for more news, community game nights, and casual conversation. 

If you'd like to receieve these blog updates and other Ilysia related news via email, be sure to sign up through our website!

And as always, check out our other socials:

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/ilysiavr/)
[Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia)

See you for our next dev blog in June! 

~ Sam (Kosmos)

Team 21 Studio, Community Manager


Dev Blog - May 2022

Grotto

Today we are showcasing another piece of  concept art for Ilysia. This piece titled "Grotto" features a beautiful water scene with plenty of waterfalls! This is our 4th piece that we've shared with you so far and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

![Grotto](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/2uIAjCfVAxmGqyeMKx9ZyB/40ee9f8508ba47aaabf693ad15b53394/GrottoT21StudioLLC.jpg)

In case you missed our previous concept art, check them out below!

![Forest Ambush](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/1FZ63qhIxhHvEkkvBsX1Yg/c8eb801c15ae92bc515970ff6c16d2f8/ForestAmbush.jpg)

![Titan Over Lake](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/79dxbn4HN9EI2qsQmBKDRF/0eb471a8aaaf0dfbb3a950ad841e69a5/TitanOverLake__1_.jpg)

![MagePortal](//images.ctfassets.net/vafj0jtq5v91/3wWwNUKSxx4Re9aoNN6rvf/19460a62102c30f032af8ae3437fdb84/MagePortal2_.png)

Ilysia Concept Art: "Grotto" 

Ilysia In-Game Screenshot

__Our team continues to grow!__

We are thrilled to welcome Ralph to Team 21 Studio as our Senior Environment Artist!  

In Ralphs own words:

*"I have been in the video game and multimedia industries since 1996. Over the course of my career, I have worked on numerous AAA game titles including but not limited to the Dark Age of Camelot series, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, Saints Row: The Third, Red Faction: Armageddon and Elder Scrolls Online. I have always had a passion for creating Environmental and Fixture/Prop art and strive to create captivating art that incites emotion and produces an immersive experience for the audience.  I am thrilled to join the team and hope to bring that creativity, passion, and experience to the world of Ilysia!"*

You can also check out Ralphs portfolio here: https://whizbangdw.com


Our Team Continues to Grow!

IlysiaRoB

__Alpha 2.0 was a success!__

You traveled Ilysia completing quests across the lands and were faced with the challenge of Bal'Ramos at the end of it all. You rose to the occasion, and showed nothing but valor as a seasoned adventurer!  

We wanted to take this time to thank you for participating in our Alpha 2.0. We received so much valuable feedback that will aid our entire team in development moving forward. We could not have done this without the help from our amazing community and you are a large part of the overall success of Alpha 2. Thank you again for your time and feedback!

*Our Alpha 2 Phase and Beta 1 store purchases ended on April 8th at 12:01PM EST*

Our team is continuing development and with the help of your feedback from Alpha 2, we are extremely excited to add new features and improvements ahead of Beta. 

Beta Access and the date it goes live will be announced in the future. Follow along here or on our socials for more updates and information! 

[Discord](https://discord.gg/ilysia)

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/ilysiavr)


Experience Ilysia, The First Truly Massively Open World VRMMORPG

StoreLaunch

We heard you! 

Due to popular demand, for a limited time, we've decided to open up the opportunity to get into the Beta 1 test phase! We're also going to offer some additional collectibles!

For those interested, please head over to https://mageportal.com/store as the shop is NOW LIVE! *In order to purchase any items from the store you must be logged into your mageportal account.*

__Beta 1 Keys will only be available for purchase until April 8th!__

Look forward to sneak peeks and updates that we'll be sharing on the road to Beta 1!

Reopening Access to Beta 1

AmbushInTheForest

Today we are showcasing a piece of concept art depicting brave adventurers ambushed by the vile Toka deep in the forests of Ilysia!

February 18th Update

showcase

Today we have a look at some of the changes to our environment in the testing region that you can expect to see in our Alpha 2 as well as a message from Art, our Creative Director here at Team 21 Studio!

Alpha 2 Terrain Showcase

BalFemale

So you liked the armor, huh? Well today, we are sharing another sneak peek! A look at the female higher-tier plate armor complete with a lava bow and arrow.

February 12th Update

BalMale-Female

As we close in on our Alpha 2, we are giving you a sneak peek at our higher tier plate set! This set was made by Kevin and the weapons shown were made by Pam.

EXPERIENCE ILYSIA, THE FIRST TRULY MASSIVELY OPEN WORLD VRMMORPG

April 8, 2022

LATEST NEWS:

Dev Blog - July 2022

Dev Blog - June 2022

Dev Blog - May 2022

Ilysia Concept Art: "Grotto"

Our Team Continues to Grow!

Reopening Access to Beta 1

February 18th Update

Alpha 2 Terrain Showcase

EXPERIENCE THE GLORY DAYS OF MMOs AGAIN IN VR!

Will you help the Lagenans secure their hold on Ilysia, or defend the planet against them? The Choice is yours - fight, explore, and grow in power; alone or alongside your friends and foes as you face the challenges Ilysia holds.

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