Small Living World 2 News

[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s me... again.[/p][p][/p][p]Playtesting revealed an issue with the scoring system. I was already aware of the problem, but the tests confirmed it.[/p][p][/p][p]We originally used a score number to represent the world’s progression. This proved confusing, since points are also used by tools. Having two large numbers on screen made it hard for new players to understand what each one meant.[/p][p][/p][p]So we decided to replace the World Score with a World Level. The World Level is still calculated from the same score, but instead of seeing a big value like 320, you now see World Level 3. It represents the same progression, but in a clearer way.[/p][p][/p][p]Previous confusing system:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]It’s now much easier to understand and distinguish between level and tool points. For example, if a plant requires World Level 5 to unlock, there’s no confusion with accumulated points.[/p][p]This was a small code change, but it had a major impact on the gameplay experience. It’s all in the details.[/p][p]Also, having a level with a progression, it is much more rewarding.[/p][p][/p][p]New World Level :[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
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[p]First of all, Happy New Year 2026 everyone ![/p][p][/p][p]I will start the year slowly. [/p][p][/p][p]Today, I want to share a bit of the behind-the-scenes work of game development. Not everything we work on becomes a gameplay feature. This month, I coded a tool to help create the game’s trailer. It’s a simple automated screen-grabber that saves a sequence of images, which will later be merged into the video game trailer. [/p][p][/p][p]The main challenge was capturing the exact same section of the world at every frame, even if the player scrolls the map. It was much harder than expected. Now all that’s left is to create an interesting scene.[/p][p]
[/p][p]The end result looks like this : ( this is not the final game trailer ).[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]
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[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p]
This month, we quietly started the beta testing phase. Let’s call it a private alpha. It’s better to begin with a small group of testers, so if anything goes horribly wrong, not too many players will be affected. Fortunately, nothing horrible surfaced, and we received very valuable feedback.[/p][p][/p][p]Beta testing can be very motivating. For the first time, we get to share the game with other people. But, it can also be very frustrating. Players don’t understand key mechanics the way we expected. They find issues we never even thought about. And then they suggest we should completely redo the UI. Yes. That actually happened.[/p][p][/p][p]When you spend days working on a feature, it can be hard to accept that you may need to throw it all away. In moments like these, you have to set emotions aside and make objective, fact-based decisions. This is not always easy, believe me. It’s important to keep some emotional distance from your project. That may sound counter-intuitive, but in the end, it really helps.[/p][p][/p][p]So yes, we will rework the game UI ( in-game menus and more ), but not right now. We’ve decided to focus on the major gameplay issues first. After all, the current UI is functional. Not particularly nice, but functional. We hope this won’t delay the release schedule, but difficult decisions may be necessary.[/p][p]Making video games isn’t always play and fun.[/p][p][/p][p]
And that’s the last Dev Diary of 2025. 2026 is shaping up to be a very big year, with the full release planned for summer. And maybe, if everything goes right, even a demo beforehand. A lot of exciting work in the coming months for us.[/p]

[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p][/p][p]I suppose you were expecting this new Dev Diary.[/p][p][/p][p]This will be a short one. [/p][p][/p][p]I simply want to present the game’s new soundtrack. For this game, I wanted something different and original. I delegate this task to a talented music composer, Marco Cutini ( https://www.marcocutini.com/ ). To give the musician maximum freedom, only minimal guidelines were provided. I believe artists are at their best work when given creative space. This is the result, I hope you enjoy it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
This soundtrack will only be used in the game menu. During gameplay, it will still be nature sounds only, just like in the previous version.[/p][p]
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[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Time for another Dev Diary. 
[/p][p]This week, I want to highlight the new Entity Information window. In the first game, this was one of the major weak points — when a plant or an animal wasn’t happy, it was often unclear why. The game didn’t provide enough detailed feedback. In the new version, I’ve focused on improving that aspect.[/p][p][/p][p]Now, by clicking on a plant or an animal, you’ll see a detailed list of all negative factors affecting it. By identifying these problems, players can take action to improve their condition.[/p][p][/p][p]It may seem like a small detail, but it makes a big difference in builder games. Players need clear, detailed feedback to improve the worlds they create.[/p][p][/p][p]I hope you will find it useful. [/p][p]
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