A Turning Point: The State of v1 and the Path Forward

Español: ¡Aquí!

Hello everyone. This post will be longer than usual, but it's also a very important one. Thank you in advance for joining me for this read.

It has been an incredibly intense couple of weeks. To be honest, I didn't expect to find so many bugs and errors during the BETA phase and the first Early Access (EA) versions. This was despite my best efforts to mitigate issues during the ALPHA phase (a pre-BETA build, which is more unstable and where the most critical bugs are identified before moving on to translation).

In fact, as you know, my plan was to already be working on v2, but it has been completely impossible.

The Current State of v1: An Honest Analysis

To put things into perspective, these are the main problems I have faced:

• Endless Bugs: This has consumed the most time. A huge number of errors have appeared over the past few weeks, some silly and others more complex.

• New Additions Implemented Incorrectly: I wasn't aware of this until they started being reported as bugs. A clear example is the Perks panel, which is not finished. It's supposed to work differently, as now, for instance, recipes for crafting toys are managed in another way. This is directly related to the crafting system, which is also not implemented correctly. There are more cases, like the achievements and a long list of other things.

• Inconsistencies in Some Quests: Certain main quests may have inconsistencies, especially the quest "An Unexpected Visit" (Anna). This point is related to the previous one, as some old content has not been re-implemented correctly due to the new girls' level structure.

• "Delayed" Implementations: There are features that should be available from this first version and not later. The most obvious example is the gallery, which is currently unavailable.

And I could go on. From my point of view, v1 is far from "complete". Fortunately, beyond the issues mentioned, the rest are small details. Still, the sum of all these details makes them important to consider.

Why Did This Happen? That's a good question

The short answer is: working under pressure + lack of time.

The situation is similar to those projects with very tight deadlines, where you feel like you're in a race against time and you'd need 32-hour days. It becomes very frustrating and leads to mental consequences, like loss of creativity, lack of motivation, or even burnout.

My point is: the pressure to constantly release new content causes things to be launched incomplete, poorly implemented, or simply with no time to include them at all. This creates a backlog of work that traps you in a very frustrating vicious cycle. V1 is the clearest example of this. Never in my years as a dev have I released a version where the final content did not align with my original vision.

A Necessary Change of Course: Quality Over Quantity

Making this kind of mistake is something I used to do in the past, and I don't want to repeat it. That's why I consider this a turning point. My vision remains the same and is non-negotiable: quality over quantity. The problem was that I failed to stand firm by that vision, partly because of how I mentally process the volatility of this business. That has to change.

My goal as a developer hasn't changed: I want to offer you the game that I myself would spend hours and hours playing. I know it's a very high expectation, but with time, it can be achieved. As they say, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and it must be treated as such.

"Slow and steady wins the race."

Action Plan: Towards a Complete and Polished v1

The current goal is clear: to release a v1 that is the version you all expect. To do this, I have defined a work plan in phases:

• Phase 1 (We are here): Finish fixing all reported bugs and apply general balancing (stats, materials, crafting, etc.).

• Phase 2: Finalize the redesign of all interfaces.

• Phase 3: Implement all content that is currently incomplete.

• Phase 4: In parallel with Phase 3, work on exclusive content for paid versions (Patreon version).

• Phase 5: Correct all story inconsistencies (quests, tasks, etc.).

• Phase 6: Re-translate all text that has not been revised by our Proofreader, Robin.

• Phase 7: Begin the usual release cycle: BETA -> EA -> Public Version.

The goals are clear; the timeline to achieve them is uncertain. Some tasks will only take a couple of days, but others could take me a whole week, especially when I finally start working on the animations.

My goal with all of this is to provide you with quality content so you can enjoy the LA universe properly, not with half-finished work.

Next Steps

Although I'd like to discuss other points, I don't want to make this post any longer. We will talk more about this process in the upcoming devlogs, which should return to their regular schedule next week. However, there will be a small change: from now on, there will be only one public devlog per week. The second one will be exclusive to patrons.

A Heartfelt Thank You

I don't want to say goodbye without dedicating a few words to all of you who are still here, supporting me despite all the setbacks, especially those of this past year. Although it may not seem like it at times, the project is moving forward step by step, and it's thanks to you, to those who are always there. In the coming weeks and months, I will make sure that the time and money you invest in me and in the LA universe we are building together are worth it.

Thank you all so much for your patience and commitment.

See you soon!

IMPORTANT NOTICE

As of writing this post, I am removing the "pre-launch" version from both Patreon and Itch. That version has very little to do with the final v1. Other than the intro and the old renders, the rest of the content is completely different. This creates unrealistic and potentially wrong expectations, which is why I have decided to remove it.

However, the 0.1.0.E version currently available on Patreon will remain accessible to those who have access to it (Aspirant tier and up from next week onwards). Please keep in mind that this version will not include anything I will be developing in the coming weeks. You could consider it a sort of "v0.0.5".

Now, for real, see you next week!