When Your Game System Keeps Falling Apart… We Made a Hard Choice.

[p]Hey everyone! I’m the developer of XenoHaven, our upcoming sandbox survival RPG. Our free demo is now live as part of Steam Next Fest, and we’d love for you to give it a try! Any feedback—big or small—means a lot to us.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]In today’s devlog, I want to continue sharing our indie development journey. If you prefer watching, check out the full devlog video here [/p][p] [/p][p]During our last update, I mentioned how many of our game systems have been scrapped and rebuilt from scratch more times than I can count. It’s something every indie dev fears—starting over, again and again, unsure if your design will ever truly “click.” Many studios have fallen apart during that cycle… but we refused to give up.[/p][p]After countless discussions, our small team made a tough call: to make the game public early. We decided to let players experience what we had so far—to test the foundation of the game before spending months building on it.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s how our first playtest in April came to life. The feedback was overwhelming—players had lots to say about the art style, optimization, and gameplay direction. One thing was especially clear: our art needed work.[/p][p] [/p][p]Originally, we planned to polish visuals after the core content was solid, so we wouldn’t waste time on assets that might be replaced later. But when we saw players dropping the game because of its visuals, we knew we had to act.[/p][p][/p][p]So even though art isn’t our strong suit, we rolled up our sleeves and started improving. We redesigned alien creatures to look truly non-Earthly, added more distinctive flora for each biome, and changed the surface minerals to match the alien atmosphere better.[/p][p][/p][p]If you’ve been following our devlogs for a while, you’ve probably noticed that our UI has gone through several iterations too. We’d love to know which version you prefer! Visual improvement is never a one-and-done thing—it’s a constant process of feedback, refinement, and polish.[/p][p][/p][p]Next, we plan to focus on environmental and character detail: better animations for workers and idle characters, fluid movement in water, more expressive NPC behavior, and enhanced lighting and shadows across the world. These small touches bring life to the game and make the world of XenoHaven feel more alive.[/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for this devlog! If you’re curious about how our journey continues, stay tuned for the next one.[/p][p]And don’t forget—the free demo for XenoHaven is live right now during Steam Next Fest! Indie development in China isn’t easy, and your wishlist or feedback truly helps us keep going.[/p][p]Thanks for being part of our journey—and see you in the next devlog![/p][p] [/p][h3]Join in our community to get the latest information![/h3][p]💬Discord: https://discord.gg/p8jHhK7QH2[/p][p][/p]