The Perfect Bowl News

April Update Post:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2976790/view/532097310616715956

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I am extremely happy to announce that I finally have an Art Director on board to help with all things art related! The overall vibe of the game will still stay the same but the style would evolve over time. I hope you'll stick around to see the awesome stuff that she comes up with.

Aside from that, I have completed the most of the refactoring and UI overhauls as mentioned last update which I am very excited to share!


Over the course of the last few months, I'm getting a better understanding of what The Perfect Bowl is about and I think its time for an update! Please do check out the new Steam Store Page!!



[h2]Our First Character Key Visual[/h2]
Introducing Jim's dad! Strong and gruff with a passion for Ramen. Being a single parent is tough. Not knowing how to communicate with his child is tougher.

The art style is not fully locked in yet but Dad represents the direction that we are going for. Eventually every element will match the visuals set by the character art making everything look more cohesive, including the ramen bowl.




[h2]Ache/Sooth System[/h2]
Two sides of the same coin. Aches represent the customers current issues that needs to be removed to feel better. Sooths are the cures to these issues. Every topping is rated to help with a certain ache. The player will not be able to continue unless ALL aches are soothed.


[h2]Updated Dialogue System[/h2]
Important conversation moments would be marked with an icon indicating customer aches the player would need to sooth with the appropriate topping. This is done in hopes that there would be a sense of "risk/reward" when deciding to go with those dialogue options as resources (toppings) are limited. The intended scenario would be that players might not be able to achieve their desired flavour dialogue if they decide to take on more aches than their resources can handle.


[h2]Character Tolerance[/h2]
A range of acceptable flavour values have been implemented to modify the players experience. Each customer has a tolerance level when determining if the flavor profiles are acceptable to them. The player must be within this range in order for them to unlock that flavour dialogue option.


[h2]Bowl Colour Customization Options[/h2]
Bowl colors are now customizable for better player expression.


[h2]Assist Mode[/h2]
Some players find it difficult to achieve the look they want which causes frustration. For players who have lesser background with 3d software, I'm going to try solving it with an Assist Mode which would reduce the number of controls available.




[h2]More Customization Options[/h2]
Being able to switch between noodle types is now functioning. Each noodle type has its own flavour and benefits.


[h2]Flavour Graph[/h2]
Flavor compositions are now represented in a heuristic graph form for more pleasing visuals


[h2]Soup Mode[/h2]
A special mode has been added whenever the player wants to add soup. There were a lot of UX issues cropping up because of how the pouring system works. So I decided to add a special mode to hopefully address those issues by making interaction during this mode exclusive to pouring of soup.


[h2]Axis Indicators[/h2]
A set of axis visualizers which would hopefully orient players when manipulating the topping.

March Update Post:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2976790/view/532094139769030049

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If you take a look at my update schedule you might have noticed that I missed out on last month oops. I apologize for that but I went on a short break and now I'm back ENERGISED. Thanks to the break I was able to come back with fresh eyes, new perspectives, and new ideas!



[h2]"Ailment" System[/h2]
I was able to come up with the idea that I think would work to help tie the narrative closer to the gameplay.
I intend to bring forward narrative part about "helping customers" and "changing their emotions" by treating it almost like a doctor-patient relationship except that you get to choose what ailments you cure with your ramen.

When conversing with customers before serving ramen, there will be critical moments during dialogue options that essentially forces you to choose which ailments to affect the customer. I believe this would be a suitable abstraction of the moments in real life conversations where someone opens up and shares their troubles and worries.

It is then the goal of the player to "cure" or ease these ailments through their selection of toppings.
Eventually later in the game, customers can also make specific requests that needs to be fulfilled. For example, they need to have carrots as one of the toppings.

[h2]Reworked Flavour System[/h2]
From playtests and with the addition of the "Ailment" system I have also decided that I would reduce the number of flavour options to just Hearty, Light, Intense, and Smooth. This not only reduces the amount of writing work needed but balances well with the new "Ailment" system.

The function of the flavours remain the same which is to unlock dialogue options after serving the ramen bowl which can change the story ending of the customers.




[h2]Overhauling Store UI[/h2]
To be honest looking back at the previous version of the Shop UI, I could have put a lot more thought into it which is why I reworked its UI. I am much happier with this version as its a lot easier to understand (taken inspiration from shop menus from other games like animal crossing) and also incorporates the new icons and graphs for the upcoming features.


[h2]Overhauling Assembly UI[/h2]
I had a similar problem with the assembly UI but the feedback on this was more prominent. I'm trying for a more sleek solution taking inspiration from MacOS and other games like Tiny Glade
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January Update Post:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2976790/view/497186807117513295

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