Nekokami News

Hello Planetary Architects,

Here we are, the last part of our progress update. Some of you may have started the journey when we first launched into Early Access. The feline folks and gods will be quite disappointed if your memory of them are already fading, but maybe it's a good idea to give a small summary of the story so far?

[h2]📃The Story So Far[/h2]
Spoilers for existing content.

You started your career with our Caretaker greeting you at the office... with all the suspicious signals that he is "up to something"...?!



Things spiral as you realize you are simply a magnet of Kami and they just love "helping out" in every one of your Expeditions... be it a lush paradise, a desert, or a home for the Golden Humans. Oh, the tiny Golden fellows, loved by the Cats and Mr. Autumn, in particular.



Did you manage to help Senpai on his troubles? Well, there're greedy, virulent intelligent races unlike the Golden Humans. One species in particular expanded star system to star system until they met their doom under the wrath of the Kami...



As we reach the end of Chapter 2, your favorite AI, EYE, has informed you that Mr. Autumn is not alright....



[h2]👻Surprises Along the Journey[/h2]
We must again thank you the patience of our Early Access supporters. As you are probably aware, we are slightly behind schedule. This Content Update is significantly larger than the EA-launch gameplay, so for this novice duo of developers, the production of the Update has already been one very long journey full of surprises...

One surprise, for instance, happened when we create the artwork for our new characters - we realize that the original ones look,.. dull?! Blasphemy to our feline gods! Turns out that we need to go back and improve almost all of our existing artwork...

Now you will see more emotions from your best friends:



You now know that Manager Sori is keeping some secrets when not saying sorry... Or Priest Collar is kind of really a priest...



And, wait, who is this?



As the game get so much larger we also realize in our play testing that it is so easy to get lost now. We again then needed to take some time to improve the overall Milky Way experience...

Oh there are so much more. Can't wait to deliver this new Nekokami experience to you all!

Let me end the progress updates series with a farm field and a giant cat (?). Hope you enjoyed it and the new adventures will arrive very soon!



PN & LS
Rocket-in-Bottle Team

Hello Planetary Architects,

[h2]⚡Kami Preview[/h2]
In this fourth post of our series, we are going to preview... the Kami! There're a total of TWELVE brand new Kami who will join forces in messing up... I mean, "helping" you in your career!

Hm, but we don't want to spoil the surprise... so let's have some teaser screenshots for a Guess-a-Kami?(...some of them are easier than the others)


(The secrets of the Milky Way are safe, for now. 🌠 )

[h2]🔮UI/Menu Improvements[/h2]
Btw, there will be a ton of UI improvements 🔧 that will come along with the Content Update. For instance, human species as well as special rules for the planet will now be shown clearly in the Expedition Summary:


(Look at the glittering face of the Golden Human!)

The main menu will feature tiny worlds that tempt you with glimpses of future adventure:

Hope you enjoy the progress update. We are working real hard to bring the naughty cats to you all. Thank you again for your support!


PN & LS
Rocket-in-Bottle Team

This is a functionality update. The new star systems, biomes and Chapter 3 content will arrive in the update AFTER this one.

[h3]🤝Local Co-op Game Mode[/h3]

• Surprise! We had this experimental two-player game mode brewing for some time. Enjoy your Planetary adventure in the Nekokami universe with another human!
  
• The Co-op Game Mode, as the name suggests, is highly cooperative. Players will share the same Tile queue and take turns to create beautiful planets and meet the objectives.
  
• At least one controller is required. Please see second part of the post for more details.
  

[h3]🔥 Other New Features[/h3]

• Surveying a placed Tile will now show a mini-Hexagon with iconic representation of constituents of the Tile.
  
• The star system display will now feature the associated main character(s). This will help players get around more easily.
  

[h3]🔧Bug Fixes and Other Improvements[/h3]

• Fixed a bug that prevent players from getting the "A Good Dream" achievement.
  
• The landing animation has been further improved.
  
• Slight visual changes to Expeditions across the Milky Way.
  
• Polish over Chinese and Japanese localization in story dialog. We will keep improving them!
  

[h2]🔰 How to Start Local Co-Op Mode[/h2]

When you arrive to the Main Menu Screen, you will now see a new option that allows you to assign controller to Player 1 or 2.



If you have one controller, you can activate Co-Op mode by assigning controller to Player 2. Player 1 will use keyboard & mouse.

If you have two controllers, you can determine who will be Player 1/2. To avoid conflicting controls, Player 1 gets the privilege to engage in dialogs 💬 and do various important actions in the UI.



Start the game normally, and you'll now be enjoying Nekokami with 2 players!

It's a highly cooperative mode - players get to place in turn. The two players can both preview the Tile they will be placing. We designed it this way so that none of the players will need to wait excessively - both players can plan for their placement while waiting. Of course, they can also coordinate their placement together!

Actually, you can switch your Tile in hand with that of your partner anytime... but remember to ask first, okay? 👻

If you happen to have tried the Co-op Mode sometime later, we welcome your feedback in the Steam Forums. Please let us know how it went!

Hello Planetary Architects,

[h2]Schedule Update: Q1 2025 📅[/h2]
First, a schedule update - the ETA for Chapter 3 is now Q1 2025! We have all the gameplay ready, but we are still working hard to resolve bugs and catch up with the localization and music. We wish to stress that the content update will be BIG, and we need to make sure our Early Access players will have a smooth experience through the Chapter 2 finale and beyond. So, we must humbly ask for your patience. Thank you!

In this third post of the series, we will address one concern from some of our beloved Early Access players - why all planets so far are Earth-lookalikes? Where are our alien landscapes of a universe ruled by the Future Cats? 👽

[h2]Onsen Biome ♨️[/h2]
Let me introduce you to the Onsen Biome - a biome where Kami Energy is far too intense for general Human habitation. Excess Kami Energy crystallizes on the planet surface as Kaminites💎.


Most of these planets have the most healing Onsens in the Milky Way. And of course the Kami knows that very well!


Create the Osens to bring Luck to their visitors and yourself. Make sure the temperature is right, though.

[h2]Frontier Biome 🌄[/h2]
The other one is the Frontier Biome. When planets are first formed physically, not even the Kami has arrived. Nekokami Co's mysterious high-tech networks🔮 has just started deploying...


Hm... the drawings look familiar... why are they all over the place...?


And who are we summoning?!

Both of these Biomes will offer refreshing unique gameplay, such asadjusting Onsen temperature for the Kami, fixing Kami Energy pipelines, and even preparing for installation of EYE on planets (?)!

Don't worry. They all sound more challenging than they really are. If the Cats can do it, so can you!

We can't wait to get you all to visit these wonderful planets 🚀. Thank you again for your support!


PN & LS
Rocket-in-Bottle Team

Hello Planetary Architects,

In this second post of the series, we are going to look at two of the upcoming Biomes 🌵🌴🌲, both under management of our yet-to-reveal Spring Council Member.

One-third of our Nekokami experience is building soothing diorama of nature on deliciously named planets. Let's take a preview of the tranquil nature 🌰 you will create before the naughty cats try to steal the spotlight again?

[h2]Fertile Biome🌾[/h2]

The first Biome is the Fertile Biome 🌾, the "official" biome of Spring. The keywords for the Biome is Variety and Artisanry. Did you notice in the above planet, Bushes, Trees and Flowers come in more than one species? Arrangement of the different species, along with various rules over how Habitats should be formed, will determine your Artisanry of your Planetary Creation.


Earn Artisanry Points and prove to the Kami your growth as Planetary Architect! The Artisanry system features a slower gameplay that rewards well crafted Habitats and patience. Kind of how gardening works actually.

[h2]Jungle Biome 🌳[/h2]
The second Biome is the Jungle Biome 🌳. The keywords for the biome is Secrets and Unknown. The Jungle is dense, and the planet is no longer yours alone.


Navigating and creating Habitats in the dense Jungle can be challenging. There are Secrets to be Explored and Found. Now that's a genuine Expedition! One more thing.. they call the Kami there... "Others"...


Oh, did you notice the Mushrooms 🍄? True to the philosophy of the two Biomes, there are a total of FOUR species of them, each with their own characteristics! Some precious, some undesirable, some outright nasty! We will keep them a secret, for now.

Remember, that's only a preview of two of the many new mechanics you will encounter in Chapter 3. As per our tradition, we have a surprise🌋awaiting our Planetary Architect in every new star system!

PN & LS
Rocket-in-Bottle Team