Village Monsters News

I hope everyone is enjoying v1.1 so far!

If you've stumbled upon a bug or two or twenty then you aren't alone, though there do seem to be fewer bugs than I feared after unleashing such a complicated release into the wild. I am very sorry to those experiencing especially frustrating bugs, and I really thank you for your patience while I sort them all out.

I am hard at work on v1.11. The original plan accounted for two patches between v1.1 and Thanksgiving, but I've decided to combine them into one large update. This will come out in the next 2-3 days.

[h2]On Apple[/h2]
Speaking of changing plans, I need to talk about the Apple version. A big reason I haven't released a patch yet is that I've been trying to get the Apple version. It's been a major challenge and a huge, unexpected time sink.

The setup I've used since 2018 is no longer working due to a combination of hardware issues, new GameMaker's poor compatibility with Mac, and my own ignorance. The Macbook I use is already very old, so every attempt I've made at a fix requires multiple hours of testing to see if it worked (and it hasn't worked yet).

I know there are a lot of Apple players and I don't want to leave you hanging. However, I am only one dev, and I can't keep focusing all my efforts on something that just isn't working. I am not abandoning Apple support, but I need to push it until after v1.1 is cleaned up. Thank you for your understanding on this.

[h2]tl;dr[/h2]
v1.11 will be a large patch update and will release next week. The Apple version of v1.1+ is on pause until further notice.

[h2]Current Known Bugs Fixed for Upcoming v1.11[/h2]

• (MAJOR) Fixed crash issue when attempting to skip cutscenes
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed issue preventing some story cutscenes from triggering
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed various issues related to displaying (and viewing) your lovely historical society donations
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed perk costs using temporary / debug values instead of their intended costs
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed issue related to mending glitches immediately after a story cutscene or trigger
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed issue where quitting during a season change could result in some flags not triggering properly
  
• (MAJOR) Fixed issue where changing the time and date via methods outside of sleeping cause errors
  
• Fixed issue with villager schedules
  
• Fixed issue with overlapping SFX when Advanced Fishtincts was enabled
  
• Fixed issue relating to some story perks not properly flipping to Enabled after a cutscene
  
• Fixed issue with Pishky not properly stocking his shelves with all available items
  
• Fixed issue with visitors not leaving the inn
  
• Fixed cliff tile issues in Autumn and Winter
  
• Fixed various graphical issues in journal, particularly related to various subpage backgrounds not displaying correctly
  
• Fixed overcast filter not covering the full screen in some areas during some seasons
  
• Fixed village plaza not displaying correctly in some seasons
  
• (This will be ongoing, as it appears to be related to a change in the way GameMaker handles surfaces, and only seems to be an issue with some GPU setups)
  
• Fixed various strange vegetation placement in Summer
  
• Fixed exploit that let you fish in non-fishing zones
  
• Fixed various strange collision boxes for some vegetation
  
• Fixed various layering issues for all player sprites
  
• Fixed issue where music sometimes was too quiet or too loud during cutscenes
  
• Fixed unusual footsteps SFX in some situations
  
• Various typos / etc. / usual stuff cleaned up

Welcome to Village Monsters v1.1. It's been awhile!

I'm eschewing from sharing traditional patch notes because they'd be too long and, frankly, not that useful. Instead, I've broken things out into three sections: what this patch contains (generally), what this patch does *not* contain, and a brief FAQ.

To celebrate the release of v1.1 I've also put Village Monsters on a weeklong sale for the low-low price of like $5. It's the lowest price ever! So tell your friends and tell your enemies twice.

Enjoy!



[h2]What this Update Is[/h2]
In a sentence, v1.1 is what v1.0 should have been. No more, no less.

After exiting Early Access last year I created a number of patches in quick succession, but soon realized I needed to take a slower, more comprehensive approach. Unfortunately for me, life immediately got in the way and kicked me right in the nads, so things haven't gone as quickly or as smoothly as I planned.

Thankfully I'm back on track - well, mostly. Many bugs have been fixed, including a large number of blockers and crash-inducing bugs. Some features have been simplified, merged, or even cut altogether if they just weren't working right. Text, art and music have been touched up or corrected here and there.

To put a number on it, I have added, modified or deleted approximately 10,000 lines of codes and have done the same for ~425 assets (art, music, etc.) I switched from Trello to Jira and then back again, so I don't know how many tasks and specific bugs I fixed, but it's a lot.

[h2]What this Update Is Not[/h2]
I have historically done a poor job managing expectations (including my own lol), so I want to properly set them this time around: v1.1 is a major new patch, but it is not a major new content update. On a scale from "General improvements to enhance the user's experience." to "Epic 30 minute video showcasing all the new features and content", v1.1 is firmly in the middle.

While there are indeed some new features / content, v1.1 was always meant to be a comprehensive bugfix effort to clean up the pitiable v1.0. My go-to mantra has been "Would this have fit the scope for v1.0 if things were done properly?", and if the answer was "No" then I've tossed it into the future v2.0 pile.

It may have taken way, way too long to get here, but the reasons for that have been well documented.

Finally, v1.1 is not a panacea for either the game or my slapdash development style. There will surely be things I need to fix or work on more, and I have already carved out time for at least two Feedback Releases to address new bugs and complaints from v1.1. As much as I tried to test things myself, there's just no predicting what players will find on their machines.

[h2]What's the Future?[/h2]
Here's my (tentative) calendar for the next few months:



As you can see, I'm expecting anywhere from 1-3 feedback releases as a result of v1.1. Then it's onto v2.0, and then sometime after that is the release anniversary.



[h2]FAQ[/h2]

Do I need to start a new game?
Short Answer: Yes, please do.

Long Answer: It should be technically possible to load your save and continue, but a lot has changed in the backend. It may be the game tries to load data that is no longer relevant and causes bugs or crashes. And if your save file missed an important 'flag' that didn't trigger earlier than you might miss story content.

Will there be another update / more content?
Yes. After ensuring v1.1 is stable I will move onto v2.0, which is my catchall version for anything that's new. I am aiming to have that out by early 2024, likely January or February.

v2.0 will likely be the final update to Village Monsters beyond patches and fixes.

Can I still access v1.06?
Yes. Subscribe to the Beta channel of Village Monsters by using the password "previousversion".

[h2]tl;dr[/h2]
A progression-blocking bug was discovered in the final stages of QA. To prevent a repeat of v1.0's troubled release, and to ensure v1.1 is the proper relaunch Village Monsters deserves, I am giving myself a - *ahem* - bonus week to fix and re-test.

The new release date is November 6th. That is unfortunately outside the Spooky Window, but I'm hoping it's close enough to be considered Spooky Adjacent.

Previous Restoring a Villages: Week 0, Week 1, Week 2, Weeks 3 & 4



[h2]Scorpion's Frog[/h2]

Here's the full situation.

A few weeks back I discovered a progression-blocking bug in the late game. It was one of those bugs that I couldn't quite replicate, but I fixed what I thought was the cause.

However, I ran into the same problem again on Saturday during my final wrap up, and this time I could reproduce it reliably. The good news is that I can fix it more easily now.

It is my upmost priority for v1.1 to be as polished as possible. Finding a major bug like this so close to release has made me exceptionally concerned that there are others I've yet to squash, including bugs that may crop up as a result of the fix (which is more common than you'd think).

I am delaying the release of v1.1 by exactly one week. This'll give me time to fix the blocker bug (among other smaller bugs discovered during QA), thoroughly test the fix, and then repeat my typical before-release testing.

I'm trying to focus on the silver lining, which is that I get another week of more thorough testing and polish. That is why I am choosing to call this a Bonus Week.



[h2]Haha, isn't this the --[/h2]

I know. I know.

There's no sugarcoating it: this really sucks. I guess I should have seen it coming given what this release is and my own history, but I still hate that it came to this. I said last week that I was finally confident, only to find my foot squarely in my mouth yet again.

One consistent bit of feedback I received after my hiatus was that people much preferred frequent (and well communicated) delays rather than waiting on patches. Obviously it shouldn't have come to this in the first place, but given the situation a delay seems like the best and only way forward.

Thank you for your understanding, and I'll see you all again next week.

You'll likely notice that I missed last week. But can you guess why? I don't think you can, because it is one of the most unlikeliest, most stupid, and most cursed thing to happen.



Yeah. My entire house got COVID... again. Again! It hadn't even been a full month yet! Is that even possible? Well, I suppose it literally is given that it happened.

Well, as much as I hate to do this, I am forced to once again make the hard decision to...

[h2]...announce a release date!![/h2]

Did I get you? That's right, baby! No more delays, no more tales of woe, no more excuses.

I am beyond thrilled to announce that the oft-discussed but much delayed v1.1 finally has a release date: Monday, October 30th!



So yes, COVID sucks, but this time around I was able to huddle in my blanket and mug of TheraFlu and just cranked through my todo list day by day. It was like one of those perks from Fallout where your stats increase if you're sick with radiation poisoning.

Now the Big Board sitting around 90% complete, so I'm giving myself a 10(ish) day buffer to finish that last 10% and test the hell out of it. No launch disasters this time!



I didn't want to announce anything until I was absolutely, positively confident. And, well, I am confident. Finally.

Look for a trailer next weekend and a weeklong sale to celebrate. I'm planning on one last weekly update prior to the 30th to outline what additions and changes you can expect.

And I'll try my best not to go for the COVID hat trick. But no promises.

[h2]tl;dr[/h2]
Not even COVID can stop this train, though it gave a good run for it.

The best part of this week – beyond being able to implement missing Kickstarter backer rewards – was the creation of The Big Board, which will track our progress towards v1.1. We are still on schedule for an October release.

Previous Restoring a Village: Week 0, Week 1



Creation of The Big Board

By far the biggest accomplishment was creating The Big Board.



Every single task I have left to do on v1.1 is listed, categorized, and now tracked via The Big Board. When the bottom bar reaches the right side we’re ready for release.

Not all tasks are weighted equally (for example, art and writing issues are generally much easier than code / testing tasks, etc.), but it’s good as a rough guide.

Code Refactor refers to slower and more measured manual code migration from the corrupted source. Features include testing / implementing / reimplementing features of the game.

Feedback and Bugs are similar to each other. Both have been reported by players and testers in the last year, but the latter are defects, while the former represent suggestions or ideas to improve the game.

Finally we have Art / Graphics / UI and Dialogue / Writing. They are probably self explanatory.


Kickstarter Rewards Implemented

All the missing Kickstarter rewards have been implemented into the game. About 30% in total were missing, which is too many though thankfully less than I feared.



There are a number of backers who never got back to me, or perhaps their responses were eaten up by KS’s survey tool or email. In any case, as far as I’m concerned there’s no time limit. If you never sent me anything, or if you did but it’s still not in the game as of v1.1, then please reach out and I’ll get you sorted.


[h2]The Bad[/h2]

First Day Blues
I discovered a number of crashes that could arise on your first and second day in the village. The reason has to do with the scheduler: villager schedules are purposefully simplified so nothing goofy happens while you’re trying to meet everyone.

But the scheduler wasn’t playing nice with everyone, especially visitors, which could result in a seemingly random crash depending on the time of day and the visitor who was trying to barge in. Thankfully it’s fixed now, but what a mess that was.




Technical Slog 2: Electric Slogaloo

The technical slog continued through this week and I’m ready for it to end lol


[h2]The Weird[/h2]

Terrible Night for a Curse
Sometime last year I was joking with some friends and family that Village Monsters was cursed. Seemed like whenever I began to work on the game in earnest, something bad would happen in the real world to yank me away from it.

Last week I made the formal announcement on Kickstarter and Steam that development has resumed, and what happens? Myself and nearly everyone I know gets COVID. The curse is nothing if not consistent!

Thankfully everyone is fine. For the two kids it was just a bad cold, and for me it was an issue of extreme joint paint, a sore throat, and a killer headache.

The weirdest part is that getting COVID in 2023 feels very… othering. Absolutely nobody wants to deal with COVID anymore, and that includes doctors and nurses who seemed generally annoyed about answering questions.

But I suppose that’s a subject for another time.