Research Story News

Hello! Just a few hotfixes for the more pressing bug reports from the recent release.
- Fixed a font texture bug for smaller screen resolutions, causing the Journal to display wrongly.
- Fixed a bug where Greydohr talks about Shimmers when asked about House Upgrade.
- Adjusted chance for 'current event' dialogues to trigger.
- Fixed a bug where the options for Greydohr's Shop after House Upgrade 2 triggers incorrect response.
- Fixed repeatedly getting Vallee's 'Practice Tunes' Mail.

Thank you very much for your reports and patience!
Miki

[h2]Hello Researchers![/h2]

[h3]🎉Our final major update for Research Story in Early Access is now live! 🎉[/h3]

[h2]Update highlights[/h2]
✨ Shimmer versions of all 29 creatures!
🌿 New Farm Building: Greenhouse
🧡 NPC Orange Heart unlocked
🪑 New Decor Sets and items

[h3]Here is a trailer for the update![/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Full Patch Notes here.

We hope you like the update!

---

[h2]✨Towards 1.0 update and release[/h2]
In preparation for our full release, I'll be working on the late-game content for Research Story over the next few months. I also plan to push out smaller updates (bugfixes, minor QOL and content) whenever possible.

This is what the 1.0 update will add:
- Red Heart Events
- Marriage system
- Legendary Research
- Continuation (and completion) of our Main Story Quest.

[h2]✨About the Research Story Demo[/h2]
Our current v0.2.7.2 demo gives a good sense of what the game is like, but it's quite outdated (3 years old, in fact!).

A big downside is the lack of controller support. I've heard from several players about being unable to try the demo due to that. I'm working on a newer demo version currently, which will include controller support and be closer to the Early Access version.

Still need a bit more time to get it to run smoothly, but I will update it as soon as I can.

[h2]🌲Wishing all Researchers happy holidays!🌲[/h2]
Finally, it's the holiday season and I'm wishing all of you happy holidays!! I'm very grateful for all the support we've had this year - from the fanart, to community discussions and Steam reviews. Knowing that there are players who love the game really keeps me going!
Looking back on this year, lots have been added to the game. We started the year by adding Steam Achievements, and celebrated our 1st year anniversary (since launch) that added paths, Iron Chests, and other QOL changes; we had a crossover with Pupu's Adventure Park; we added Farm Buildings, Year 2 creatures, a new townsfolk (Layla), Casual Hangouts, Cooking, more customisation, and lots of other content!

2024 has been a great year for Research Story, and I'm so excited for what the next year would bring!

Cheers!
Miki 🤍🌲⛄️☃️❄️

P.S. If you enjoy Research Story and haven't left us a review on Steam yet - we'd be very grateful if you do! It'll help us reach more players who might like the game as well!

[h2]Key Features and Content[/h2]
[h3]Farming: Greenhouse, Trowel, New Crops[/h3]
- New Farm Building: Greenhouse
- Grow crops all year round in the Greenhouse.
- Only previously researched crops can be planted in the Greenhouse.
- Greenhouse can be built from Theo's Shop.
- Multiple Greenhouses can be built, moved, and demolished.

- New Tool: Trowel
- Trowel can be upgraded 4 times.
- Move crops with the Trowel
- View crop details with the Copper Trowel.
- Dig spots marked with 'X' (found in the mines) with the Iron Trowel.

- 3 New Crops to research and grow! They are found in the Mines and can grow all year round.
- Lettice, Desert Coral, and Dancer's Heels

[h3]NPC and life sim: Orange Hearts[/h3]
- Orange Hearts unlocked! Players can now reach Orange Hearts with all NPCs.
- 10 Heart Event cutscenes added.
- 11 Heart Event Mail added.
- Improved dialogue system: NPCs may now sometimes comment on current events.
- Added dialogue that are related to current events (Shimmers, Puzzles etc.)
- Added more NPC routines.
- ~3,500 words added in NPC dialogue (Total: ~50,000 words in NPC dialogue)

[h3]House Upgrades[/h3]
- House Upgrade 1 now adds another room (Washroom). Players that already have an upgraded house will get the new room instantly.
- Added House Upgrade 2 that can be unlocked from the Mason, which adds a Bedroom with Washroom and 2 additional empty rooms.

[h3]Shimmering Creatures[/h3]
- Shimmers: A rare colour variant of the usual creatures!
- All 29 creatures has a chance to show up as a Shimmer after being observed.
- Shimmers generate 2x the usual produce.
- NPCs may comment on Shimmer followers.

[h3]Porter Chest[/h3]
- Added Porter Chests, that can be obtained in mid-late game.
- Items in a Porter Chest can be accessed via another Porter Chest anywhere.
- Porter Chests can be used in the Mines.

[h3]New Items[/h3]
8 New Decor Sets
- Floral Set: Floral Large Rug, Floral Lamp, Floral Table, Floral Wardrobe
- Leafy Set: Leafy Large Rug, Leafy Lamp, Leafy Table, Leafy Wardrobe
- Desert Set: Dune Large Rug, Desert Lamp, Desert Table, Desert Wardrobe
- Sand Set: Sand Large Rug, Cactus Lamp, Sand Table, Sand Wardrobe
- Icy Set: Ice Crystal Large Rug, Icy Lamp, Icy Table, Icy Wardrobe
- Blue Set: Blue Round Large Rug, Odd Blue Lamp, Odd Blue Table, Odd Blue Wardrobe
- Warm Depths Set: Volcanic Large Rug, Lava Lamp, Lava Table, Depths Wardrobe
- Dark Set: Deep Dark Large Rug, Dark Lamp, Dark Table, Dark Wardrobe
New decor
- Washroom Decor: Standing Sink, Stone Privy, Stone Bathtub
- Double Bed (Chestnut, Maple, Cherry, Fir)
- Display Case
- Flower Basket (Dancer's Heels)

Decor Gifts from NPCs
- Gu Lin Rug
- Gu Lin Large Rug
- Flower Vase
- Dragon Stone Statue
- Gold Oven
- Gold Book Statue
- Fish Wall Mount
- Kipp's Dreamcatcher
- Bonsai
- Peach Candle
- Day Night Clock

Equipment
- Mana Capsule: Use Teleporters and Elevators freely.

Crafting Recipes
- Glass
- Display Case
- Sun Lamp, Gold Sun Lamp, Chroma Sun Lamp

Items
- Cave Worm

[h3]Other Added Content and Changes[/h3]
- Added Glass, which can be smelted from Sand in the Stone Forge.
- Added new routine for Suo'e on Tuesday night after the Summit is unlocked.
- Added new routine for Vallee on Saturday morning from Year 2 onwards.
- Adjusted Zuri's Mon-Wed routine (Writing starts from 2pm instead of 4pm).
- New portrait expression: Suo'e (Worried)
- New portrait expression: Zuri (Excited)
- New Mine Floor layout: Gems, with higher spawn rates for gemstones.
- Added Tutorials: Farm Buildings, Dormancy Barn.
- Caravan Owner sells decor that can be found in the Mines as part of his cycling stock.
- Added Steam Achievement: It's a Shimmer!
- [Localisation] CN Localisation Updated.

[h3]QOL improvements[/h3]
- Change Active Hotbar using Space or Z/C on keyboard, or LS/RS on controller.
- The default KBM control for Hotbar: Eat has been adjusted to only the RMB (Space no longer works as an alternative), due to the above change.
- Improved grid selection when using the Hoe and Watering Can. The upgraded tools can now be used diagonally.
- Added Shop Categories to Theo's Wood Station, Alfie's Awesome Automations, and Mugs & Darts.
- Improved texts when buying/upgrading certain tools.
- Improved stutter when opening Journal for the first time after launching game.
- Improved glyphs that prompt controls to increase clarity (e.g. instead of a small white text above the hotbar, the control prompt shows up as a glyph on the bottom right of the screen).
- Item notifications now show alongside control glyphs.
- Added Activity Tracker for Story Hangout Events.
- Updated Mail UI sprite.
- Added description icons for Insects

[h3]Balancing Changes[/h3]
- Increased magnetism for dropped items slightly.
- Increased magnetism for dropped items while player has a speed buff.
- Birch Leaves can now be used for composting.
- Added Birch Leaves, Birch Sapling, and Treehopper to universal dislikes.
- Tapper Produce time for Maple and Birch trees reduced from 10 to 7 days.
- Ores now stack to 99.
- Increased drop chance of Ground Beetles.
- Darkwood Log can now be used as fuel for smelting or the fireplace.
- Fishing Net now drops every 2-3 days instead of 3-5 days.
- Increased drop rates of fish for Fishing Nets.
- Fishing Nets can now be placed in the Caves and sometimes catch common cavern fish.
- Increased shipping price of some furniture and Sun Lamps.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]
- Fixed certain NPC dialogues not triggering.
- Fixed incorrect opening hours stated on Map for Tinkerer's Shop.
- Fixed a bug where Vallee would show a quest bubble above her head when not supposed to during the 'Unidentified Fish Part' Quest.
- Fixed rare bug where animals overlap with the player and follow them after removing from a Dormancy Barn.
- Fixed first creature of new page in Creature Compendium not showing.
- Fixed a bug where Salamanders with molted tails show the wrong sprite (with tail) when first entering an area.
- Fixed a bug where the player could harvest a crop while accessing the Auto-Feeder.
- Fixed a bug where player could interact with the Sawhorse and Chest simultaneously.
- Fixed a bug where the game freezes if the player talks to Kyr after skipping her introduction cutscene.
- Fixed a bug where music volume does not increase in a loaded save, if the option was previously saved at 0.
- Suo'e's Yellow Heart Event now triggers after Autumn 11 instead of Summer 11 of Y1.
- Fixed minor visual bugs.
- Optimisation improvements.

[h3][✨v0.11 is in development and will be available at the end of 2024!✨][/h3]

[h2]Hi Researchers![/h2]
I'm wrapping up the major content and features in the upcoming v0.11 Shimmering Update. Here are some of the new things you'll be seeing in the game!

[h2]Introducing Shimmers ✨[/h2]
For each of our 29 tameable creatures, there's now a rare chance for them to spawn as a Shimmer! Shimmers boasts a different colour, has a shimmering effect, and drops 2 times their usual Produce. This mechanic is introduced to the game after players obtain the Creature Compendium.

Shimmering Sproutkitten!

[h2]House Upgrade 2 + more Decor 🏡[/h2]
The first house upgrade adds a Kitchen to the basic house. In the upcoming update, it'll also add a washroom! Players that already have an upgraded house will get the new room instantly.

In v0.11, House Upgrade 2 adds a Bedroom with Washroom and 2 additional empty rooms. Here's a little peek at the Bedroom with a Double Bed as well as some new decor!



[h2]3 New Crops 🌿[/h2]
3 new crops have been added! The Desert Coral, Lettice and Dancer's Heels can be grown all year round, and have repeated harvest cycles. They were added based on player feedback about the limited accessibility of certain types of plants (Flowers, Vegetables, and Herbs) in some seasons.

Desert Coral with repeatable harvests.

[h2]NPC Orange Heart Events and more dialogue 🧡[/h2]
I've added Orange Heart Cutscenes for all 10 romanceables, and a special Mail that players can receive when they reach Orange Hearts with non-romanceables.

On top of the Heart Events, I've also added some dialogue that's related to current events. This includes dialogue related to Shimmers and the progress of the player in their research or the cave puzzles.


[h2]More useful items!✨[/h2]
Several useful items have been added to the game, including Porter Chests, Mana Capsule (Equipment), and Display Cases. Some of these are mid-end game items.

• Items in a Porter Chest can be accessed via another Porter Chest anywhere.
  
• You can use Teleporters and Elevators freely while the Mana Capsule is equipped.
  
• You can place any item in a Display Case.
  

[h2]What's next 📝[/h2]
As you can see, there's lots to come with our Shimmering Update! With the important content complete, I'll be spending the next couple of weeks testing, fixing bugs, and adding more QOL features and content that has been requested by players.

The Shimmering Update is also the final major update for Research Story during Early Access, before the full 1.0 release. We're soo close! A big thank you to everyone who has been supporting us so far. The roadmap remains: our 1.0 release update will include Red Heart Events, a Marriage system, Legendary Research, and a continuation (and completion) of our Main Story Quest.

If you enjoy Research Story and haven't left a review on Steam yet - it'll help very much to leave us a review! 😊🧡

Excited for the update, talk to you again soon!
Miki 🤍

- Some localisation fixes.
- More specifically, fixed a dialogue that causes the game to freeze during Vallee's Mugs and Darts Hangout Event, if game is played in Simplified Chinese.

Thank you for your bug report!
Miki🤍