The story
so far.

Nookvale on iPad.

The first universal iPhone and iPad build brings the town and lake to a full landscape tablet screen. Menus, movement, rowing and fishing have had their first native iPad checks.

Picking up where you left off.

City and lake stories were checked after closing and reopening the app. Longer tablet sessions, touch comfort and occasional frame stalls are still being worked on.

Build 36 has been submitted to Apple for beta review. The existing small friends playtest began with Build 31.

A quieter pause.

The pause menu has a cleaner layout, grouped settings and a simple reminder to back up your story.

At home on the water.

Fishing actions appear when they are useful, with stick steering, compact meters and clearer swimming choices.

A name on the map.

Discover the shore and Lake Wren earns its place on your explored map. Shorelines follow the water, with a softer edge between familiar ground and the unknown.

A closer look.

Optional gentle zoom brings the world a little nearer. Cars keep a little momentum when you step out, and the forest has had a foliage and dusk lighting pass.

Back on the phone.

Rowing, fishing, photography, swimming and returning to a saved boat were checked on iPhone. Camera entry and weather transitions still have occasional performance hitches.

Up to Alder Ridge.

A connected forest opens beyond town, with a winding climb, autumn groves, mist and six places to discover. A watchtower refuge offers a bed, a stove and a warm window above the trees.

Down to the water.

A lake, timber landing and tackle shelter extend the trail. Row out, cast a line, keep or release your catch, or swim back to the bank.

A boat with a little character.

A faceted hull, timber trim, benches and a lantern give the rowboat its own silhouette. The shore and shelter have been shaped around a clearer approach.

The spare place.

An optional lakeside encounter leaves room for a small gesture and a reply on another day.

Something growing.

Apples, mushrooms, herbs and vegetable patches reward looking beyond the shelves. Found ingredients can become garden soup, woodland stew or herbed beans at home.

Room for a spare.

Two weapons stay close to hand, while unloaded spares can travel in the backpack. Swapping keeps track of the weapon and its ammunition.

Your days in Nookvale.

An optional personal journal gathers familiar places and memories. Wayside lamps can be repaired, small replies can arrive later, and an optional flash helps with nearby night photographs.

A useful boot.

Parked cars can carry two small stacks of supplies. Cargo stays with the car when you move it and when you return to your story.

Something warm at home.

A simple pantry supper waits on the HQ stove until you are ready. Six small milestones remember moments across your stories.

The first friends playtest.

Build 31 reached the first small TestFlight group. Town details, crowd spacing, opening variety and the revised sun-and-survivor icon came along for the ride.

Rooms with a reason.

Homes and workspaces arrange furniture around daily life. Twelve mall shops each have their own focal display, from records and books to gardening and a café.

Light where it belongs.

Visible lamps anchor warmer interiors against cool and muted rose light. Streets, grass, signs and tree silhouettes were reviewed in daylight, rain and darkness.

Photographs to keep.

The personal album holds 24 pictures, with framing at home and a native Save to Photos action on iPhone. Photos and street checkpoints were checked across a full app restart.

Quiet stories.

Letters, a place at the table, a small birthday, a repaired light and other optional encounters give exploration its own rhythm. The twelve story routes reached their playable prototype scope.

Going Up.

A working lift connects five landings with rooms to explore and a rooftop garden. Founders’ Day adds a small rooftop celebration that can be played through at your own pace.

Making a home.

Found keepsakes can take their place on a shelf. Music, flowers, a favourite seat and a framed photograph make HQ feel more personal.

Through the Halloran.

A pocket camera introduces everyday monochrome photographs, a saved album and optional lens, focus and film controls.

These development passes were recorded between the numbered build notes. Discovery, pacing and physical controls continue to be refined through playtesting.

A cup to carry.

A terracotta espresso machine grinds, pours and holds your coffee until you pick it up. Five sips keep the ritual with you as you explore.

Finding your way home.

HQ gets a gold house on the map, while beds mark overnight shelters. Infected remember a sighting for longer and search where they last saw you.

Listen a little closer.

The rooftop radio has five stations, replayable signals and written captions. A familiar rhythm becomes part of First Light.

Small comforts.

Coffee arrives at HQ and shelters. A lighter aiming assist, clearer unarmed icon and furniture improvements round out the pass.

The arrival.

A revised helicopter, searchlight, flare and recorded rotor audio bring the rooftop pickup together. You can choose to stay as the empty helicopter leaves.

On the phone.

Both the departure and the choice to remain were checked on iPhone, with the ordinary saved story preserved.

A little pressure.

Calling for rescue brings a temporary pursuit on the way to the rooftop.

Room to decide.

The pickup has a slower approach, warmer rooftop light and a gentler camera drift. The choice to stay remains available before boarding.

An optional goodbye.

A rooftop pickup gives survival an optional conclusion, with radio captions, rotor sound and a view back across town.

Keep your cities.

Completed rescue stories can be revisited from an archive. A checkpoint lets you continue before extraction.

Weather with less work.

Rain rings, drifting paper and visibility updates were made more efficient while retaining the existing visual settings.

Learning from real devices.

Longer iPhone sessions began to guide the work on heat, comfort and frame pacing.

Left behind.

Some homes now hold fabric, scrap or, if you’re lucky, a little water.

Company on the way home.

On the quieter streets between hordes, you might meet a lone infected or a wandering pair.

A steadier feel.

Menus stay solid while actions update, and footsteps have a softer place in the sound mix.

Life around the edges.

More grass gathers around existing growth while roads and entrances stay clear.

Clearer rooms.

Doorways and interior visibility received another pass, alongside simpler menus and more persistent infected after a sighting.

Places with personality.

Distinct rooms and furniture give each home, shop, and workspace its own character.

A little more impact.

Snappier doorways, punchier gunfire, and infected that stumble and fall.