Devlog and Ongoing work (Patreon)

Hey everyone,

Another huge thank you to my patrons.

First the bad news. The demo is going to be delayed. I'm hard at work but it unfortunately it won't be until next week at least .

This is just a consequence of the increase in complexity.  Things that were simple to do before just require extra steps now. For example I used to be able to just say "put this diaper on player". Now I actually have to turn the diaper into an item. Give the item to the player, put it in the inventory slot and equip it, remove the previous item....

The same goes for clothing items that now need an actual icon and some basic settings. I also foolishly prototyped several new systems that took more work than they are going to show off.

I was starting to burn out a little. I've slowed the pace so I don't crash. I'm also trying to make sure all the work I do is work that doesn't have to be re-done. Taking shortcuts now will just slow the whole project.

The good news is most of this work only needs to be done once for the whole project. Once I have these fixed the solutions will last for the rest of the project.

I've put the breaks on any new system and am just working more directly on content but the systems are working within the new environment so at least we are heading in the right direction!

Devlog

Just a quick devlog this time, I gotta get back to work.

So one thing I really like the idea of is giving the player something to collect as they make their way through the game. It is a great way of rewarding you for exploring areas within the game and spending more time doing specific actions.

So one of my first instincts was to try a sort of "Pokemon" idea. The idea I was thinking of was something not unlike Pokemon. If you can fight a ghost to a low level you can trap it in a common item (like a rattle/bottle or toy). This empowered toy could either be researched at the university for upgrades or used in some kind of way during the game.

I'm also toying with the idea of letting your player hold one specific item that could have some special effect. I could allow you to collect toys that you could store in your "home" or stuffed toys you can level up to give you a boost.

I know grind has a bad reputation but it plays a pretty important role. I'd love to give you some ongoing challenge that isn't related to the main story but gives you plenty of play time and some rewards that feel meaningful even if they don't have a huge effect on the game.

Currently I'm leaning towards a "favourite" toy you can empower and carry with you. Blend the empowerment of that toy with the way you interact with the environment and other characters.

This is an idea for some way into development. I'm not going to focus on that kind of feature creep right now, but it is a fun idea.

Back to work, I'll post more updates later this week!