Unity Onhold Body Language [v0.4.0] [Mip]

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Let’s start by ripping off the band aid, Kat’s date art is not likely to make it in time, so her date will have to wait until the next version (0.3). I’m working together with phoenix to create a more transparent schedule (as much as is possible within the limitations of working on commission). So hopefully we won’t over extend like this again. The good news is that Eve’s date art is likely to just make it under the wire, so her date will be included in the upcoming version. I’ve already received sketches for it, and its looking really good so far.

I’ve covered some more ground in terms of writing, with the next city event fully written and implemented in the game, along with its associated minigame. As always minigames are optional and you can autowin them from the settings (though I think this one turned out rather fun, I’m anticipating your feedback on it).

I’m continuing to write Kats date, even if it won’t make it into the upcoming release, I want it to be ready and implemented the second the art pipeline clears it. So completing it is going to be my focus for next week. Along with bug fixing and typo hunting in preparation for the QA version release next weekend. Public release date of version 0.2 remains on the 20th of March.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

Just in case you want them, F95 fan sigs graciously designed by Lady Aspen (Thank you!) have been added to the OP!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)


Update time!

Good news everyone!

Phoenix pulled off the unexpected and managed to complete Kats date art today. I’m going to take one extra day to implement the date into the game, as well as do my own run of QA. Which means by late Monday (the 15h) I should be ready to make a limited QA release of version 0.2 to a few select individuals. I will then take in their reports and fix things as needed, so I anticipate a public release including all 3 girls second dates and one additional city story around the 21st.

This version has been a development roller coaster, but it’s looking like it’ll be a good one. With nearly 10k words over the various scenes, a new minigame and some gorgeous art, I’ve done what I could to make it fun for you all. Once you do get to play it, I hope you let me know what you think about it (either as a review, a post, or a private message) since that’s the main way for me to know what works and what doesn’t. And, frankly, good reviews help get more eyes on the game in general and also make devs all warm and fuzzy

I’ll be deep in the QA and bugfix cycle next week, preparing for the public launch. And then figuring out what should go into v 0.3, because there’s no rest for game devs until the project is done!

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Alright, so. I was a little late getting the latest version to QA, so I don’t have much in the way of bug reports yet, however, I did promise a release today, so here’s what we’re doing. I've uploaded the bug hunt, win64 only version of Body Language 0.2.0. I’m going to put it up so those that are anxious to play can try it out. It’s been through enough testing that I’m confident in releasing it, but things like typos or grammar issues might be a bit more prevalent in this version (please report those if you encounter them, thanks!)

I’ll also note that in this early stage, any feedback (in the form of bug reports, comments, DMs or reviews) is very welcome. I’m planning to release a more cleaned out version for all platforms by next weekend.

Link and changelog are in the OP. Have fun!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

I'm happy to present the public version of Body Language 0.2.1 for all platforms!
This version includes a few minor bug fixes and typo fixes over 0.2.0. If you've played that version with no issue, you can safely skip this one.
As always, please let me know if you encounter any issues, typos, or have any thoughts on this update. Feedback is vital to me in this games early stage. And have fun!

Links in the OP.
Have a great week

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

The v 0.2.1 release has gone relatively well. While reception is still slow (to be fair, as slow as my dev process), it’s been generally positive. You all reported a few minor typos since the release. I’m going over them right now, but I’ll generally be rolling fixing them into the next release. So let’s talk about that for a moment.

Body Language v 0.3 is currently planned to contain one more date for each of the girls, another city story with an associated minigame, and if time allows, some extra scenes for a few of the stat trainers. Looking at the previous version’s development time and some unfortunate circumstances in my day job, I estimate this version will take roughly 2.5-3 months to develop. I’m always looking at ways to cut that dev time down, but at my current budget (mostly time budget, but also money) this is the rate that is sustainable long term for both myself and the artists. Hopefully it’s worth the wait.
Thank you for your continued support.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

The writing process for v 0.3 has begun. The third date for Jess has started to take shape, as well as a new city traveling story. It’s still rather early in the process and changes are likely to happen, but I’m going to try to get the artists going a little earlier this time around to avoid the bottle neck they had last version. That’s always a bit of a gamble as it locks a few details in earlier then I’m used to. But hopefully it’ll be an overall good for the project as a whole.

In an unrelated note, it’s been quite a while since I did a proper prototype week, so I’m doing that this week. For context, devs, especially solo indie devs, tend to suffer from “shiny new project” syndrome. Since it’s a lot more fun to start a new project than it is to put in the work on an existing one, we tend to get distracted by new ideas and lose focus. That is how games get the “abandoned” tag. Of course, nobody wants that. But also “just don’t do anything new for years at a time” isn’t a reasonable solution either. So, we compromise. Prototype week is a pre-planned, set and limited period of time where I get to try out new ideas, new technologies, and just basically mess around with stuff that isn’t guaranteed to be useful any time soon or at all. And just to be clear, prototype week only applies to programming time, so writing tasks for v 0.3 continue concurrently.

I stole of Prototype week from another dev (I think I read it in one of Vrens updates, maybe?). It usually results in either a complete broken mess, or something silly like this:



This prototype isn’t likely to get fleshed out into a proper game since it’s just me messing around with some ideas and some fun tech stuff (this one has 3D dice being rolled in a “pocket dimension” and rendered onto a 2D surface). But if there’s any interest, I’ll let you know where it ends up when the week is done.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Short update this week as everything is currently on schedule. The writing process is continuing with the next city story being worked on. As well as some more general notes for Kat and Eves dates. My day job is threatening to become more time consuming in the near future, I’ll keep you updated if this becomes a serious issue.

On the art side I’ve gotten the background artists going already, early sketches look promising. The next step is to get Phoenix up and running adding characters to those backgrounds, which should be ready sometime this week. Hopefully getting the artists going this early into the writing process proves to be more helpful than hurtful, we’ll see as it goes.

Since this is a short update, here’s a little WIP background from the next version.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

So… last update I mentioned my day job becoming a bit of an issue. I have no choice but to elaborate now. I’ve been a part of a 3 developers team for the past few years. In the last month, one quit, and one went on a several months long maternity leave. Leaving me with a bunch of unfinished work and some new recruitment responsibilities. Now, I’m rather aggressive about maintaining my work life balance. So I’ve negotiated most of this workload away. But still some concessions had to be made. Long story short, during the month of May (and only during that month) I will have less time than usual to spend on the game. It’s going to be a rather stressful month and far less productive than usual.

This means a few things. I will be pausing patreon charging for May, since the game isn’t getting my usual level of attention, that seems only fair. I will do my best to keep these weekly updates going during this month (even just to say “still alive”), but I ask your tolerance if I end up missing one or two. And any planned release dates would have to be updated once May is done and I have a better sense of my available time.

I wish I could live of off my games, but until that, day job comes first. I hope you understand.

On the up side, the first background art for the next version is ready and turned out really well. And work on the character commissions for the new city story has started. Phoenix is on it. while I’m working on getting all the dialogues written up.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

As you may have expected by last weeks update, this week hit me like a ton of bricks, leaving very little time and energy for side projects. Phoenix is still working on her end, and I'm hoping to get a few hours of writing in next week to at least allow Wyne to get going on the next background art. So consider this a short "still alive" update, as I'm expecting most updates during May to be. As a reminder, patrons have not been charged for this month. I will continue to update here as much as I can.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Continuing the theme of "May Mip is ruined" I've been mostly useless this week. I got some minor writing tasks done but frankly I'll probably have to redo them when I get a chance to look at them with a non stir fried brain.

Luckily I'm not in this alone, and Phoenix continues to deliver. Here's a little sneak peak into some work in progress design for three side characters you'll end up meeting around the city. (This is WIP, they are likely to change a lot by release time).

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Slowly making it back. After a very challenging month, I’ve finally managed to stabilize my schedule again and carve out some time to work on the game each week. It’s not as much time as I’d like, but it’s better than nothing. With the situation I mentioned to patrons also seeming to resolve itself, I’m now getting back in the saddle.

I still won’t charge patrons for June as I’m not sure how resolved the local situation actually is, I’m hoping for the best, but I have a bad feeling about it flaring up again, and I’d rather lose a few dollars than charge you when I can’t get anything done. Hopefully my worries in that department will prove incorrect.

So anyway, this week I’ve completed writing on a new conversation training session with the bartender (still needs some editing and implementation, of course). As well as fixed a few typos that were reported during my absence. I intend to finish up this mini scene and move on to a new date with Jess next week.

In the art department Wyne has already completed some background art for a new date, and phoenix is working on art for the city story and its many variations. It’s a complex one with three new minor characters so it’s a big job, but looking at these sketches, I think it’ll turn out great.

Spoiler: Sketch

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That’s it for me, here’s hoping life remains calm so that I remain productive. I’ll do some assessing about this versions task list and what I can get done in my new work schedule. So, I’ll give you all a new release estimate in a few weeks.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

It’s fun finally getting back into writing for this game! I spent this week polishing up the small new training scene with the bartender, and getting started on Eves third date. It’s shaping up to be an interesting date, simple on the surface but very revealing if you’re paying attention. There’s still a lot more writing to go on it, but the shape of it so far is one I’m rather pleased with.

The art department has completed a rather complicated piece for the new city story and minigame, so I’m giving them some breathing time, I’ll get them started on commissions for the dates that are already more well developed (Jess and Eve) near the end of the week when I’ve finalized some last-minute details.

In terms of the release schedule, it’s looking like it’ll be around 2 months until the next version is ready. This is of course a rough estimation and as you know I’m always looking for ways to speed up the process, I’ll keep you up to date as usual when I have a more concrete date in sight. Thank you for your continued patience and support in this turbulent time.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Another week of writing went by. I’m currently working on the general structure of Kat’s third date. Kat is a fun character to play around with but there’s some depth to her that makes writing her a bit more challenging. So while I did manage to get a decent date structure written down, honestly, I’m just not happy with it, so I’m going to take another crack at it this week.

External demands on my scarce free time continue to pile on. As mentioned in the last few weekly updates, I’m seeing a noticeable reduction in the rate at which my dev tasks are cleared. I’m doing what I can to carve out time for game development each week and as usual I will continue to be transparent about how much output you can expect from me and when it should be going up again. When I know, you’ll know.

In addition to Kat’s third date structure, next weeks plan includes quite a lot of work with the artists as more backgrounds and sexy date reward images can now be worked on by them. And if time permits, I’ll get started on the various dialogues needed for Jess’s third date.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

A strong week for the art department as both Phoenix and Wyne are busy working on images for the new dates for Jess and Eve. Which Is good, since Kat’s date is still going through revisions and may well change completely from my original plan before I’m done with it.

On my end, I’ve implemented the new bartender training event into the game and (after some fiddling) got it to trigger correctly. It’s looking good and should pave the way (mechanics and code wise) for implementing events for the other trainers as well, which are currently a little (a lot) under developed. I have plans for them. Building them up is a lower priority right now as there’s a lot to get to with the main girls. But they trainers will have they’re time to shine as well sometime soon.

That’s it, short update this week as things are settling into a new development rhythm. It’s far from perfect, but its gradually getting more efficient from week to week. A very rough estimate for the next release right now is late August. As usual, I’ll update you as I know more.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Having made good progress on some of the girls dates, I decided to take some time this week to advance the city story. This is a fun one introducing three side characters. I have the skeleton of the event planned out already and I’m now fleshing it out with dialogues, art, and what I hope would turn out to be a fun little minigame. Art for the side characters is already done and I can confirm, is hot

Speaking of art, one girls date background is done, and a sexy reward image for another girl is already passed the sketch stage. There’s only a few more art pieces left to go for this version, which means this time around (and frankly, as expected due to stuff mentioned in previous updates) I’m the bottleneck.

Not much more I can say about that subject really. I’m deep in the recruitment process for developers for my day job. Once that pays off, I’ll be able to go back to putting in a couple of hours on Body Language after work, instead of plopping exhausted on the couch each night. But recruitment is a long, frustrating process, so again, just, thank you all for your patience.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

Update time!

This week we’re going to do something a bit different. I want to give you a bit of insight into the solo dev process and I’m going to use a bug I encountered and fixed this week to demonstrate it. It’s going to be a bit of a “how the sausage is made” kind of update, so if that’s not your jam, feel free to skip this one. I’m also going to simplify a lot for readability, so don’t expect complete technical accuracy here, okay? Okay.

So, lets talk about this bug. It was essentially a visual bug. Where my intention was to add a very subtle motion effect to the background of this bridge scene in the first Jess date, under -some- conditions, it ended up looking like the entire scene was lit up by a disco ball.

Spoiler: Gif

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(the gif makes the more subtle version look almost static, but trust me, in game, the effect is there, look at the river).

So I want to talk about a few things. What actually caused the bug (I promise I’ll keep the technobabble to a minimum), how the bug made it through my personal QA run and external QA, and what I’m going to do moving forward to get better at catching such bugs.

What caused the bug (the simple version)?

For context, making a game in Unity means spending most of your time in the editor, the editor is capable of running the game so you can quickly make and test changes. When you’re ready to release the game, you create a standalone build, this build should, in theory, be identical to what you ran in the editor, but as expected, that’s not always really the case. And that’s exactly what caused this bug. In editor mode, the shader I created to add the subtle visual effect had a mask applied to it (basically, a simple image the shape of the river in the background that tells the shader to only apply itself to that area). However, when making a release build, for technobabble reasons, that mask image was removed, leading to the shader applying itself to the entire scene. That is what caused the disco ball effect. The fix was a simple settings tweak to make sure the mask isn’t stripped.

How did the bug make it through my personal QA run and external QA?

That’s on me, I did my full game QA run in editor. I only sampled a bit of every platforms actual build to make sure nothing was horridly broken and I didn’t happen to sample that specific scene. Since this was a visual bug and not a logical bug / grammatical issue, external QA had no way of knowing the disco ball effect wasn’t the desired one. So, they couldn’t catch it at all. Neither could players for that matter. Only I could find it, and sadly I didn’t until now.

So, now what?

Well, the first obvious solution is to ensure I do my QA run on a release build and not in editor. This doesn’t 100% solve the problem since I can’t realistically do QA runs for every platform I build for (both in terms of time investment and the fact that I don’t even own some of those platforms). But it should allow me to catch the more obvious issues. In addition, I’ve now added to my general QA check list an item about verifying the build integrity of shaders specifically. Given that they’re a new technique for me, it makes sense that some growing pains occurred.

That’s it, this update was rather longer than usual but I hope at least some of you found it interesting. Writing these at the very least helps me to organize my thoughts. Writing work continues as planned despite losing some time to chasing down this bug. Release date currently projected towards the end of August or start of September.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

A short (and somewhat late) update this time as this week kinda kicked my ass. I had very little game dev time to spare and spent most of it dealing with bugs and typos and just generally spinning my wheels. One thing I did manage to accomplish was centered around marketing for Body Language. But I won’t go into detail on that until it bears fruit.

So, operating under the assumption that next week can only be better, I plan to finally dive into making the new minigame for the next versions city story, and continuing the ever-ongoing writing process. As well as get the art department going on a few final commissions needed for this version.

Have a better week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Another week another update. I spent my time this week laying some code groundwork for the new city story and associated minigame. It should be straight forward to implement it fully next week. Time management is still a challenge given everything I’ve already outlined in previous posts but I’m making it work the best I can. So far, I’m on schedule, just barely. As usual I’ll keep you updated if this changes.

On the art side I’ve started Phoenix on the sexy date reward image for Eve’s third date. It should be a lot of fun. Especially contrasting it with Jess’s (already completed) reward image. Each of these girls has her own flavor and approach to life which hopefully will be reflected in how they conduct themselves on dates and what they prefer during bedroom shenanigans.

That’s it for this week, barring any surprises next week will focus mostly on the new city story and if time permits, also a bit more work on Jess’s date.

Have a great week!

 

[Mipmip]

(cross posted from patreon)

Update time!

Happy to report a productive week this time around. Phoenix finished another date reward image and is now working on some extra art for the city story. I’m 95% done with writing that city story. With completion and implementation planned for this week. I’m rather happy with how it turned out, it’s minigame should be fun too as it ties in to the stats and themes of the game itself.

In case you missed it, our lovely Jess was considered in Spicy Gaming’s cutest girls in adult games line up along some great girls from other great games. So go check that out if that’s something that might interest you and show Jess some love

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That’s it for this week. Next week will likely be a coding heavy one, which should be a nice change of pace from all the writing I’ve been struggling with lately. Release currently projected at late August early September.

Have a great week!