Research Story News

[h2]Greetings, Researchers![/h2]

I've been working on the main storyline and NPC content, but can’t share much about those yet. Instead, I'll share some of the improvements and additions to Research Story this month!

[h2]Research[/h2]
[h3]Improved Research UI 📖[/h3]
I’ve revamped the research UI - players can now select one research item and look at its specific tasks. The new format gives more clarity, uses larger fonts, and looks prettier in my opinion :) This also means I can have more flexibility in the types and number of research tasks for each plant/creature/fish without things looking too cluttered, which leads us to… varied research mechanics!

New Research UI, with each task clearly separated in a textbox (marked when completed).

[h2]Varied Research mechanics 🔍[/h2]
One of the feedback from the demo was to have more varied research mechanics, particularly for creatures. I agree that some variation keeps the game fresh. Now, plants and creatures can have different research tasks tagged to them. For example, some creatures require you to find and record their footprints! 🐾✨


Identifying a Sproutkitten footprint sample.

[h2]Fishing[/h2]
[h3]Fishing Spots 🐟[/h3]
Fishing Spots can randomly appear in the water, indicated by a swimming fish. By fishing there, the waiting times for fish bites are reduced, and getting a fish to bite is confirmed. This would be helpful when players are specifically trying to find some fish to catch! The fishing spot fades away after a few catches.

Fishing at a Fishing Spot

[h2]New NPC reveal: Sesame! 🐱[/h2]
I’ve been working on more NPC portraits - and here is one for Sesame! He’s a fisher in Shimmerbrook and is super awesome and fluffy. And yes, Sam is short for Sesame


[h2]Other news[/h2]
I’m also honoured to share that we won 2nd place in the Colors of Indie Awards 2022! It’s a really nice boost in motivation and I’m grateful to be a part of the event hosted by Mooneye Studios. Check out the event site here!


Like always, I’m always so thankful to everyone for your patience and support! I’m really excited that RS is slowly coming together, and have been working extra hard to make the game as fun and cosy as possible.

Thanks for reading, and see you next month (or come chat in our Discord)!
- Miki

[h2]Happy Summer, Researchers![/h2]

I've been hard at work on adding the planned content for creatures, crops, and fish into the game. I'll share some of them in this devlog, but leave most of them for you to discover when you play the game!
[h2]Featured new creature: Grassbun 🐰[/h2]
One of the new creatures is a bunny-mon called Grassbun. It has a unique interaction where it becomes alert and runs when you get close! You can now crouch in the game to approach it successfully.



[h2]More fish 🐟[/h2]
I’ve also added more fish to the game - here are some common fish and different baits for fishing. When players have more than one type of bait in their inventory, the first bait will be used.



[h2]Summer vibes and summer crops 🌻[/h2]
The summer seasonal tileset is complete, and Sunflowers are one of the crops that is in season! Crops now move a little when players move through them.



[h2]New crop growth requirement: Soil types 🌱[/h2]
In Research Story, knowing what conditions crops require to fully grow (and not wither) is important. Plants will have 1-3 “Growing Conditions” that need to be met for them to grow. So far, these conditions can be a mix of any of the following: 1) Season 2) Distance to a water source, 3) Amount of sun/shade, and even 4) Weather when the seeds are sowed.
Now, there are also specific soil types that a crop may need. These are loosely based on real-life uses of fertilisers and soil acidity for optimal plant growth. These fertilisers can be crafted or bought.

Look at all the colourful, fertilised soil!

[h3]Changes based on demo feedback[/h3]
+ Press right-click as another way to pick up certain placed items, such as feed bowls. This was a common feedback and I'm glad to have addressed it!

As always, thanks for reading! I'll be moving on to adding NPCs' Heart Events and Hangout Events soon - those will likely take a lot of time and I won't be able to show much to avoid spoilers. I'll still try to show some interesting things as we go along, though!

Take care and see you next month!
- Miki

[h2]Hi Researchers![/h2]
Another month has quickly passed, and here is what I’ve been working on in the month of May:

[h2]More shops and building interiors:[/h2]



For each shop, supporting mechanics have been added:

• Healer’s Hut: Added potions, such as speed (use tools more quickly) and strength potions (takes less energy to use tools).
  
• Blacksmith: Added upgradable tools. For example, hoes and watering cans can be upgraded to reach more tiles, and upgraded axes takes less time to chop a tree. Along with the upgradable tools, I've also added some metal ores that can be mined for upgrading tools and crafting.
  
• General Store: Added more food and decor items, along with new farming equipment, Sun Lamps. Sun Lamps prevent crops such as garlic from withering when there is too much rain.
  

Holding a Speed Potion, with a chicken by my side.

Gold Watering Can watering up to 3 tiles.

Growing garlic around Sun Lamps, which withers if there is insufficient sunlight.

[h2]New townsfolk: Ming and Teagan[/h2]
Two new townsfolk have been added! Ming from the General Store, and Teagan who runs the Healer’s Hut.



Ming came from a neighbouring continent to further his studies in medicine; while Teagan set up shop in Shimmerbrook as they wanted to reside in a small town while helping others with their homebrewed potions.



Changes based on demo feedback
+ During the day, you can choose to sleep till night or till the next morning
+ Increased Fiber drop rate

That’s all for this month! In the meantime, get weekly updates from Twitter, and we also have a Discord if you’d like to come chat! :D

Take care everyone, and thank you for your continued support! Miki

[h2]Hello Researchers![/h2]

An important juncture! 🐾

Before diving into the devlog, I wanted to share that this devlog marks an important juncture for Research Story. We’ve built the foundations and core pillars of the game - research, farming, building, creature taming, fishing, and NPC relationships. From this point on, I’ll be implementing the full storyline (main quests), adding content and progression, and deepening existing mechanics.

It’s been so exciting, and as always, I’m so thankful that all of you have been with us along the way - be it through playing the demo, or supporting us on Twitter, Steam, Discord, IG, Youtube or by sending us emails. I truly appreciate every single kind message and encouragement we’ve received, and I’m looking forward to bringing so much more to the game. Let's do this!


We added a few exciting systems this month, all relating to building relationships with the townsfolk.

[h2]Calendar ✨[/h2]
A calendar has been added to the main UI, which players can access at any time. It tracks the townfolks’ birthdays (those you have talked to will have their icons revealed), upcoming Hangout Events, and other Festivals (Festival content to be added in the future).



[h2]Hangout Events 💛[/h2]
You can schedule Hangout Events once you reach “Blue Hearts” with an eligible NPC. These events are friendly dates - you can walk around with the townsfolk and try out different activities depending on the date location! Hangout Events are completely optional, but you can learn more about the NPCs through them. You also earn more Relationship Points with them from a good date.

The first hangout location I’ve added is the Tavern: activities include listening to the jukebox, having a meal, and playing darts.



[h2]Heart Events 💖[/h2]
I absolutely love Heart Events in farming sims. It’s a portion of the game I want to put a lot of care into, to share NPCs’ stories and bring a smile to players’ faces. I’m glad to say that the foundations for the Heart Events and cutscenes are done. I don’t want to spoil anything - but I’ve started to add more Heart Events into the game, which you can unlock by reaching certain relationship levels with NPCs.

[h2]Zuri, the Magic Researcher! 🔮[/h2]
Another NPC-update, another NPC reveal! Meet Zuri, our lovely magic researcher from the Violet Archive. I’ve had her design sketched for a long time, and I’m thrilled to finally add her to the game. I kind of love that she looks a little like a magical girl. On the topic of magic, some might wonder if players can cast spells in the game. I have no plans for that, and magic will be explored in other ways - you’ll find out when you play the game in the future! :)



[h3]QOL changes based on demo feedback[/h3]
I’ve also started working through the some of your feedback!

• Trees become transparent when players walk behind them
  
• Consuming food is easier: Players no longer have to press TAB to hold one more food after each bite. The food stays in hand until the slot is empty!
  
• Creatures that were following you when entering a building will follow you again automatically when you leave.
  

See you next month!
- Miki

[h2]Greetings Researchers![/h2]

[h3]Moving from demo patches to developing RS for release[/h3]
This month, we have uploaded the final patches for our demo after the event, and are back on track to focus on the release build of Research Story.

✨ Thank you for playing the demo!
A big thank you to everyone who has tried our demo and left feedback! I’m delighted that many of you have enjoyed it. There were lots of great suggestions on improving the experience as well.

✨ Update on the Windows 7 compatibility issue for the demo
It has been patched and players are still able to experience the demo right now! If you still face issues launching the demo, do let me know – sorry for the delay!

✨ Moving forward
We’re excited to work through your feedback and continue developing RS based on our plans and vision for the game. One of the most common feedback from the demo is to have more daily activities. In particular, a highly-requested feature was fishing! 🐟 That was moved up the priority list and was the bulk of my progress in March. More details below~

[h3]New location: Lakeside and Fishers’ Hut 🐠[/h3]
Added a new location in Shimmerbrook: Lakeside - where the water is green and the fisher resides.
Fishing side by side with fisher

[h3]Fishing minigame 🎣[/h3]
Players can cast their fishing rod at any water source, if they have Bait in their inventory. Wait for a fish to bite, and you can start reeling the fish in! The fishing mini-game is based on a reel spool and handle. To successfully reel in a fish, left click when the handle is within the marked area, and fill up the reel bar (below the circle). There are plans to add creatures (or other items) that help ease the fishing difficulty in the future!

Difficulty variations in fishing mini-game

[h3]Fish Research 🔍[/h3]
Sometimes, instead of fish, players will reel in an unidentified fish part, such as a fish scale. The item can be scanned using a device called the Origin Tracker, found in the Fishers’ Hut. After scanning the item, you will find out the types of bait the fish is attracted to, as well as seasonality and locations where you can find the fish. You can then catch the fish to complete research!

Note: Most common fish do not require research; this mechanic only applies to some unique fish!

Origin Tracker mini-game

Journal records for identifying a fish part

[h3]Discord server[/h3]
We have also started a Discord server and the community is growing! Come join us if you’d like to chat with the community, ask questions, or keep up to date with the game’s progress!

• Join the Research Story community on Discord: Invite link 🙌
  

As usual, thank you for reading and for your awesome support so far! I’ll be focusing on NPCs in the coming weeks 💖

- Miki