August 2026 Blog: Westphalian, GED & UX/UI Update

Westphalian

By Nomi (Senior 3D Artist & Animator)

I know, horses can’t fly. But sometimes I’ve been to horse competitions, watching all kinds of horses running, and some of them just seem to fly. And sometimes, when riding, you come across a horse that just has that aura and vibe.

They’re light on their feet, almost like ballerinas, piercing through the air with grace. That was the feeling that stood out to me for the Westphalian: their small little noses, feminine expressions, and princess-like aura. That became the direction we wanted to capture in both the silhouette and animations.

For the Westphalian, I worked on the model and textures, working closely with the animators, tech artists, and equestrian advisors throughout the process.

But many horses can look very similar, especially warmbloods. If you ask someone who hasn’t spent much time around horses, they’ll probably tell you they all look the same. So, what could we do to make these horses stand out more from the other warmbloods in the game?

COATS!

We decided to give the Westphalian some unique coat colors. During the process, we discovered that some registries allow more unusual coat colors and pintos, while others only allow solid coats. But we found a middle ground: a grey blood shoulder!

Speaking of BLOOD, and speaking of FLYING… that brings us to my summer side project.

What likes blood and likes to fly?

THE BAT! 🦇

Note: This is a work-in-progress picture and doesn’t represent the final in-game version.

Yes, you heard that right. There will be a little bat companion coming this Halloween, and I had the honor of working on the model, rigging, and textures for it this summer.

I love when we get to work on something a little different every now and then, like the dragon pet I worked on before, and now the bat.

My biggest challenge with this one was modeling and rigging the hind legs. I had to look at several videos and references to get them right. It’s almost like they have arms for legs, and it confused me so much XD

But I got it working! And even after modeling animals for 7 years, I’m still learning something new. It was so much fun diving deep into the anatomy of a bat — something that’s usually pretty hard to observe when they’re flying around quickly at night.

But now, this little guy will be hanging around with us in Jorvik… literally from our saddlebags.

I’m SOOO excited to see a little bat companion in the game this autumn! The summer might be coming to an end, but cozy season is just getting started, and I hope this little guy gets you just as excited for autumn as I am. 🦇🍂

Updated GED Workers

By Kyly (Senior 3D Artist)

GED is hiring! And we want YOU
(But only if you fit into very specific guidelines and have no ambition to climb any sort of ladders, be they corporate or other. No payouts for personal/work injury liability insurance claims! * T’s & C’s apply*).

An official statement from the GED HR department:

“According to the updated GED Corporate Operations Mega Manual [regulation 652b, clause 12, paragraph 3, bullet point 4] new and existing personnel need to go through rigorous inspection to make sure they pass company specifications.

Basically, the old guys are not pulling their weight (he he) and an upgrade was ordered from the top brass.

Making sure to pick candidates with the same nondescript appearance, penchant for the rules, waist circumference, and solemn personality was key in not upsetting the status quo. We think we achieved such a feat, which should surely earn us a few points towards the prestigious title of  “Department of the Month” (!!), complete with the zany prize of complimentary no-name brand cookies, excluding the chocolate-coated ones (* T’s & C’s apply*), in the HR staff kitchenette! Whoop!

The new candidates are undergoing our state-of-the-art GED Captains of Corporate™ intensive training program while the current employees complete their contract periods, so watch this space!”

UX/UI Update

By Ina (UX/UI Lead)

Hello StarFam

It's the UX/UI craft again. We are the ones who design all interfaces on the web and in the game, and also the ones who send you surveys through the launcher and sometimes questions through social media.

We just wanted to swing by and let you all know what we are working on. First, a few different things we think about: For any UX, you want the designs to be consistent so it's easy to use; for any UI, you also want it to be beautiful and creative. And in a game, you often want it to feel part of the world. I'm sure you have noticed our visual updates to the progression board in the festivals? That's one of those things. Or the books in Marcheghast? Or the clubs on the web? Right. That’s it too! Our goal is to make a lot of UI look like real objects from the game world.

For other things, it's more abstract. And there is a lot of important information that we don't want you guys to miss. We have shown you what is coming for the wardrobe, and if you have tried the TrailBlazer and the Styler Rider event, then you have seen that more abstract style too. Now we are also starting to update the Help windows (sneaking out on desktop first) with both newer information, as well as an easier-to-read design.

But there is more on its way. We are doing updates to competitions in the game. Some are getting a real overhaul, some are getting small updates to make them easier to understand and find.

And here is something else for you all on our horizon (preparing for additional item types!):

We try to balance classic shapes and styles with a modern feel, making it easier to read and use, while taking care of what makes the game feel like Star Stable and making improvements where needed.