📖 Mini-Devlog #22
[h3][✨The below changes are part of a minor v0.12 update, which will be available within a week or two!✨][/h3]
[h2]Hi Researchers![/h2]
Here's an update on the progress towards 1.0!
Since January, I’ve worked mainly on three things:
1) Adding Powered Chest item and mechanics
2) Reworking key UI
3) Adding more Game Options
[h3]⚡️ Powered Chest for automated crafting[/h3]
One of the key feedback from players in the latest version of the game is that Crafting Stations (such as the Composter and Stone Forge) can get tedious when crafting large batches of items.
Introducing… Powered Chests!
Powered Chests automate the addition of materials and collection of crafted items. Just plop it next to a Crafting Station and add required materials to the chest. Nearby Crafting Stations will grab the needed items and start crafting. When crafting completes, the crafted item is deposited in the chest and the next cycle starts (as long as there are enough materials). The crafting will continue to run even while you’re out exploring!
[h3]📖 Reworking key UI, such as the Quests UI, and increasing font sizes[/h3]
A UI rework has been on the to-do list for some time. Several parts of the main UI have been reworked:
1) Quests UI is now integrated to the main UI as one of the tabs, instead of being a standalone page. This was changed due to a recent feedback from a player, and I think it fits nicely in the main UI!
2) Increased the size of the UI, and used larger, more legible fonts for text.
3) Redesigned some UIs so that information is more clearly portrayed (e.g. NPCs’ and creatures' information)
New quest UI
[h3]🎮 More Game Options[/h3]
These gameplay options have been added based on player feedback:
1) Keyboard auto-targeting: For players primarily playing with a keyboard, turning this on helps with navigating the game without the use of the mouse. Doors and interactable objects are automatically targeted without needing the mouse to hover over them. However, most UI would still require a mouse.
2) Never faint from energy depletion: If this is on, using energy when the player is at 0 Energy will have no penalty. However, the player will still faint at 3AM (latest bedtime) and progress to the next day.
[h3]📝 Towards 1.0[/h3]
These changes have taken up a considerable amount of development time, and I’ve only been working on the actual v1.0 features and content on the side. It's looking a little hard to keep to the timeline I’ve set in the roadmap (Q1 2025), so I'll have to shift the full release to Q2 2025 to make sure that I don't rush the final stretch of development. The actual release date will only be decided once I have all of the features/content added. In the meantime, I’ll be sure to provide devlogs for notable progress, as I always have.
[h3]💛 Thank you to the RS community 💛[/h3]
We recently passed 10k copies sold and 50k wishlists, which is really, really awesome. Your continued support keeps me going, especially now that we're so close to the finish line.
Recently, I found a pretty fun playthrough of Research Story by REDtm, who completed the available research in the game. Just wanted to share it as I enjoyed watching it myself 😊:
https://youtu.be/X1CNaiRQsyg?si=NRGSXDvOYJ-A1yuv
Cheers!
Miki 🤍
[h2]Hi Researchers![/h2]
Here's an update on the progress towards 1.0!
Since January, I’ve worked mainly on three things:
1) Adding Powered Chest item and mechanics
2) Reworking key UI
3) Adding more Game Options
[h3]⚡️ Powered Chest for automated crafting[/h3]
One of the key feedback from players in the latest version of the game is that Crafting Stations (such as the Composter and Stone Forge) can get tedious when crafting large batches of items.
Introducing… Powered Chests!
Powered Chests automate the addition of materials and collection of crafted items. Just plop it next to a Crafting Station and add required materials to the chest. Nearby Crafting Stations will grab the needed items and start crafting. When crafting completes, the crafted item is deposited in the chest and the next cycle starts (as long as there are enough materials). The crafting will continue to run even while you’re out exploring!
[h3]📖 Reworking key UI, such as the Quests UI, and increasing font sizes[/h3]
A UI rework has been on the to-do list for some time. Several parts of the main UI have been reworked:
1) Quests UI is now integrated to the main UI as one of the tabs, instead of being a standalone page. This was changed due to a recent feedback from a player, and I think it fits nicely in the main UI!
2) Increased the size of the UI, and used larger, more legible fonts for text.
3) Redesigned some UIs so that information is more clearly portrayed (e.g. NPCs’ and creatures' information)
New quest UI[h3]🎮 More Game Options[/h3]
These gameplay options have been added based on player feedback:
1) Keyboard auto-targeting: For players primarily playing with a keyboard, turning this on helps with navigating the game without the use of the mouse. Doors and interactable objects are automatically targeted without needing the mouse to hover over them. However, most UI would still require a mouse.
2) Never faint from energy depletion: If this is on, using energy when the player is at 0 Energy will have no penalty. However, the player will still faint at 3AM (latest bedtime) and progress to the next day.
[h3]📝 Towards 1.0[/h3]
These changes have taken up a considerable amount of development time, and I’ve only been working on the actual v1.0 features and content on the side. It's looking a little hard to keep to the timeline I’ve set in the roadmap (Q1 2025), so I'll have to shift the full release to Q2 2025 to make sure that I don't rush the final stretch of development. The actual release date will only be decided once I have all of the features/content added. In the meantime, I’ll be sure to provide devlogs for notable progress, as I always have.
[h3]💛 Thank you to the RS community 💛[/h3]
We recently passed 10k copies sold and 50k wishlists, which is really, really awesome. Your continued support keeps me going, especially now that we're so close to the finish line.
Recently, I found a pretty fun playthrough of Research Story by REDtm, who completed the available research in the game. Just wanted to share it as I enjoyed watching it myself 😊:
https://youtu.be/X1CNaiRQsyg?si=NRGSXDvOYJ-A1yuv
Cheers!
Miki 🤍