December 20, 2022 -- 0.4 Changelog (Patreon)

The first beta build is completed for 0.4, and it brings the size of the PC zipfile to 1.1 GB.

Christ.

That is really the best way to show how much is in this. The previous 0.3.1 versions sit right around 470 MB. So... yeah. On with the full changelog.

* Total scenes now up to 103. It was somewhere around 56/57 at the end of 0.3.1. That's 46 to 47 new scenes.

* Five new characters introduced (four of which have content or will have content in the future).

* Around 2200 new images and sprites. I had said 2500 earlier but some didn't come out and others did not get used. They might appear later.

* I've lost count of how many animations are in this. They're all mixed together. The total sits at 119. I think it was near 60, so basically double the amount of animations.

* Completely new Journal design. It should be a lot more user-friendly and require less clicks to get wherever is needed.

* Expanded gardening. After the garden is cleaned up, all four plots are able to be used, and you get three garden actions per day. Time advances only when the third action is taken. In other words, you get two free actions in the garden every day.

* Additional Gardening and Trading levels have been added. When levels are reached, advancements and advantages are earned.

* A new Help screen available from the Journal that explains many things about the mechanics including statistics (Knowledge, Confidence, etc.), gardening abilities/levels, trading abilities/levels, the new "Threads" that are introduced in 0.4, and other things.

* Threads. The game now has a special page in the Journal that lists threads -- storylines containing events that form the backbone of the game. Some are required to advance in or complete to reach individual character scenes but are still able to be completed if certain love interests are not being pursued. More will come later, and older ones will drop off when completed.

* Expanded working in the garden and brewing lab to all times of the day except night.

* Added a LOT of music and sound effects to the game as was originally intended. The audio folder expanded by 2.5x. In the beta version, some sound effects may still be missing if I didn't catch the tags. Adjustments will continue with audio going forward.

* Patron gallery expanded through the end of 0.4 scenes, allowing replay of the missing scenes from 0.3.1 and all of 0.4. It also can now be played from anywhere, not just inside the shop.

* Many, many little bug fixes and streamlining of the 0.3.1 base. Fixed several bugs and bumps that bothered me. There was a glitch with the gallery that caused music to stop periodically and a small crash point when exiting the previous Journal at certain locations. Both of these errors have been located and fixed.

* Normalization of scene beginnings/endings to have smoother transitions and better audio.

* Adjustment of previous images, using the better shading and look of newer renders in scenes from as far back as 0.1.

* Incorporation of the Devotion stat for all love interest characters. The main characters (Reece, Cali, Katira/Goblin, Yanwei, Genny, Lerran) will eventually be able to reach 8. Minor characters Erranda, Iris, and Nadine will eventually be able to reach 4. Others will have between 2 and 3. Devotion measures the "true love" feeling of the girls, with the higher number resulting in a "better" ending for each.

* The opening of Velvet Desires near the end of 0.4, allowing the player to visit the broth... I mean... chartered bordello... for some extra fun. It's limited right now, but you can go spend silver there to your heart's desire.

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It feels good to have so much accomplished. This has been a real journey, and it's going to continue on. We've got a long way to go yet.

Princes and Barons will get the full Patron Beta version in a couple days. Without problems, Lords and Denizens will get it a day or two after Christmas, with the public release likely to happen right around January 1st. That's if no one finds a major bug I didn't.