Hey everyone! I just wanted to share the story of how my game, Cornucopia, came to be.
It all started when I was a kid and I became obsessed with farming games like Harvest Moon 64 and Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. I spent hours upon hours playing them and learning everything I could about farming. And as I grew older, I became more and more determined to bring that passion to life.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/365736905284405e832e6fa88ae27bfe.DavidHomesteading.jpg)
So, I packed up my bags and headed off to the middle of nowhere in Canada to homestead for three long years. It was an incredible (and slightly insane) experience. I raised a jersey cow, bred pigs, hatched chickens, and even had two dogs (including a bulldog that is your dog in the game!!). And yes, before you ask, I was a vegan at the time and refused to eat any of the animals I was raising. It was a strange time in my life, but I was determined to live out my farming dreams to the fullest.
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But let me tell you, living in the middle of nowhere in Canada has its challenges, especially during the winter. It was brutally cold, with temperatures dropping to a bone-chilling -45 degrees. I almost froze to death on more than one occasion, I don’t know how wild animals can survive in such intense cold!
But it wasn't just the cold that presented challenges on the farm. I also had to deal with the occasional animal predator. For a while, I had a few chickens and ducks that kept disappearing, and I would find blood everywhere on the grass outside. I eventually figured out that it must be a fox or a coyote that was causing the trouble, so I bought a cruelty-free box trap and set it out. And sure enough, I caught the culprit - a sly fox.
I knew I couldn't just leave the fox to suffer in the trap, so I decided to drive it far away and release it back into the wild.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/72752073c9064e4680880d98efe88361.3cf9991295ab1ce5763c90f91019b086.jpg)
It was just one of the many unique and interesting experiences I had during my homesteading adventures.
In addition to raising chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, a cow, goats and more, I also had 13 bee colonies on the farm. I spent a lot of time caring for the bees and harvesting their honey, which I sold at the local farmers market. It was a lot of work, but I loved every minute of it.
However, not everyone at the farmers market was a fan of my honey. There was an angry old honey seller who tried to drive me out of business, even though I wasn't really making a profit. On one occasion he got right in my face and tried to intimidate me, and I think even got his elderly friends too as well. But I stuck to my guns and continued to sell my honey.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/477f943076214f5db5bc2306dc1fe783.3b855b2faa17bd1261fabd01ae0c4ad4.jpg)
It was experiences like these that inspired the creation of Cornucopia. I used my custom game engine to develop early prototypes of the game while I was out on the farm. And as I went about my daily tasks, I met a wide range of quirky and diverse individuals who eventually inspired some of the characters in the game.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/5b92d4682fc34a49a1fbd21f9514de7a.7ae2a05b967f3c8ee794c871ff2e5938.jpg)
But the cast of characters in Cornucopia isn't limited to just those I met on the farm. I also drew inspiration from family members and people I met throughout my life. So in addition to the quirky farmers and homesteaders, you'll also find a cast of lovable (and sometimes eccentric) family members and friends.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/763ee27b629b4336b5ce4cc846fc8df9.cd698fe75b2b39baca8e4f0cd08bb239.jpg)
Now, I bring my passion and expertise to Cornucopia, a game that allows players to experience the joys (and struggles) of farming firsthand. And if you're a vegan like I was at the time, don't worry, you won't have to worry about eating any of your virtual farm animals either.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my journey with Cornucopia. After my experiences I moved to Vancouver, Canada and have been loving the city life. It's been a wild ride, and I can't wait to see where the game takes me next.
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/f517cd9dd23a4ad1bba585641e5466b3.1dd9e31c45d91ca125d22943d7899a88.png)
![](https://uploads.gamedev.net/forums/monthly_2022_12/6fb026925481471ca0e7e3a838403201.087746cea08d9b57fafc580d9f4d40af.png)
Thank you for helping make this game a reality by wishlisting and telling your friends. You don't know how much we appreciate your support <3
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1681600/Cornucopia/
Discord community: https://discord.gg/cornucopia
Check out the trailer below for a sneak peek at what's to come in the Demo: