Hello dear Pixelians! 🖐
With a new season upon us, it's the perfect time for updates in Pixelia! It's been a while since my last update, so I'll be sharing as many details as possible.
This update will be divided into three sections:
- What's been done. ✅
- What's currently in progress. ⏳
- What's planned for the future. 🔭
Important Note: While it is not certain, it is anticipated that your current save files may encounter bugs due to significant changes made to the game in the past few months. These early versions are not stable, and many elements & features are subject to change based on your feedback. Thank you all for your incredible suggestions, ideas, and support!
1) v0.2.0 Update Notes 📝
Let's start with what we've already done:
-Pets 🐰🐱
Beware! Your home has been taken over by our fluffy friends!
We'd like to start by announcing that Pets have been added to the game. Currently, you can have Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Hamsters, and Ducks roaming inside your home.
Following our Kickstarter goal: New Pets & Vehicles, we will continue to introduce more animal options, potentially expanding to around 20 different animal types initially.
Besides the variety of pets, we will also include special actions & tricks they can perform. You’ll be able to take your pets for walks, feed them, and build relationships with them.
At this early stage, we are focused on adding different animal types and designing their unique features. All these additions will be implemented in future updates.
-New Dialogue Options 💬
Another exciting update involves our New Dialogue Options!
We've decided to remove the Insult and Blackmail options. In this early version of the game, these options lacked depth and didn't serve much purpose. Based on the feedback we've received, it made more sense to replace them with two new, more meaningful options.
Ask Questions ❓❔
So.. does the egg come first or the chick? 🐣
You can now ask other Pixelians questions, which are divided into two main categories: General and Private.
This new feature is the first step in giving each Pixelian a unique personality, as their responses will be tailored to their individual character.
You will be able to learn whom they like or dislike, and who their bestfriend is, what they do for a living, what their hobbies are and etc..
In the future, some of these informations will have some effect on your relationship with them. Being friends with their rival will surely have a negative effect. We will also increase amount of the questions and add specific traits for each one of them.
Give Gifts 🧧
Giving gifts will help you increase your relationship faster, but it will also take a toll on your wallet.
In general, you will also get some Reactions from each Dialogue option you choose.
-Mini games 🎯
Initially the way to develop skills were through mini games. At first, we have received feedback that some mini games were difficult for our players, also to increase your skills, playing 60 seconds of mini games repetitively would not be such a cozy experience in long term.
We've introduced a solution inspired by traditional systems like those seen in other life simulation games.
Your Pixelian will now autonomously practice their skills, but this will slightly decrease their Mood. Excessive practice can lead to exhaustion and boredom, so it's crucial to ensure your Pixelian receives enough entertainment to counterbalance this.
This change applies only to skill practice and development. Mini games will still be part of the game for activities like creating art, composing music, writing a book or for side jobs. This update will prevent mini-games from becoming repetitive.
Furthermore, skill advancement has been optimized for faster progression.
-Homework 🧾
The mini-game for attending classes has also been removed.
Now, your Pixelian's classroom success hinges on a combination of factors: their Mood, Intelligence, and level of preparation achieved through homework.
With these elements in mind, your Pixelian's performance in the classroom will be determined.
-Inviting Other Pixelians to your Home. 🎀
You can now open your door to other Pixelians and invite them to your cozy space when you have achieved a certain level of relationship.
They'll spend time with you and interact with the objects in your home.
-Interests 🎈
Your Pixelian's life would be dull without some interests of their own.
There are currently 6 Main Interests you will see;
- Family (More information in Work In Progress)
- Pets
- Politics (More information in Work In Progress)
- Basketball
- Music Band
- Boxing.
Each interest will come with its own set of requirements, but once you meet those, you'll have the freedom to form a band, establish a political party, join a basketball team, or become a licensed fighter. The decision is entirely up to you!
-Trait Tasks 🎴
Trait tasks have been adjusted to align with our 'skill practice' updates. Upon finishing each trait task, not only will your Prestige increase, but your Mood will also increase as you fulfill your character's desires based on their Trait.
Additionally, we're actively working on adding more methods to boost your Mood. This is certainly on our radar for enhancements.
-Sprint Can Be Toggled On. 🏃♂️💨
Now you can toggle on Sprint instead of holding the Shift to run. Not only that, sprint will not decrease your Energy at all, so feel free to use it as much as you'd like 🤓
We're also considering tweaking the sprint speeds based on your character's Strength, providing a more dynamic experience.
Also, for those that have accidentally got into Fighting stance and found themselves in an uncomfortable situations, fret not, we've got you covered! We've included extra icons to guide you on how to deactivate it. 😅
-Minor Updates 📰
- Rent prices are lowered.
- Job salaries have been increased
- Bus tickets are lowered to half price.
- Stats are decreasing slightly slowlier.
- Changes/improvements in UI.
- Turkish language has been added.
-Minor Fixes 🧰
- Previous problem of having to enter the exclusive item codes for each characters is a thing of past now. Exclusive Kickstarter Outfits will be saved for all of your characters now. (You might need to enter the code for once again, just to get it saved).
- Sequence error for Super Model job has been fixed.
- Being hit by a car after you get out of Art Studio has been fixed.
2) Works In Progress ⌛
Now let's get to what we are cooking 🍳🥄👨🍳
While not all features could be included in this update, many are currently in development behind the scenes. I'm eager to discuss these, as they'll certainly find their way into upcoming updates.
-Family 👶
As hinted in the Interests section, our highly anticipated Family feature is nearing its completion. So, what can you expect?
You'll have the opportunity to marry Pixelians, free from any gender restrictions. Additionally, you'll be able to have children through adoption too.
These children will progress through various life stages, starting as babies, advancing to toddlers, and eventually becoming adults. The timing of their growth transitions will be optional, allowing you to control when they age up.
Furthermore, you'll have the ability to educate your children and help them develop new skills. Once they reach adulthood, they'll be capable of contributing financially to your household.
We're considering further optimizing wedding ceremonies, including options to select guests, and incorporating multiple scenes to enhance the experience.
-Pixenville 🌸
To Pixelia was originally developed with the idea of keeping the game exclusively within an urban setting. However, why to put any limitations for those that want to enjoy both?
Originally, we aimed to introduce Pixenville alongside our Exclusive Beta Outfit, Pumpkin Pal. However, we decided not to rush its release until it was fully polished.
Soon, you'll have the opportunity to journey to Pixenville via train and immerse yourself in a vibrant new community. You can explore new areas, new jobs and enjoy the natural surroundings!
Fishing, tree chopping, and farming are just a few of the activities awaiting you in Pixenville, along with the introduction of new animals like cows, pigs, and horses. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to purchase and navigate & customize your own yacht in the lake of Pixenville.
-Elections 🗳
Each year, presidential elections will take place, providing you with the opportunity to exercise your right to vote.
You can establish your own political party and actively participate in these elections. However, your success will hinge on the level of effort you've invested leading up to the elections, necessitating the recruitment of assistants for various departments.
Should you emerge victorious in the elections, you'll gain the authority to enact new laws, adjust tax rates, and oversee a plenty of management tasks that lie ahead.
-Museum, Pawn Shop, Cinema, TV Studio and more! 🎥
At the moment, several buildings remain locked as they are still under development.
Museum will be a shop offering unique items that cannot be purchased with money. Instead, you'll need to spend your Pixelian's Prestige Points to unlock new outfits, hairstyles, facial styles, furniture, and more.
Pawn Shop, found in Bottom Town, will operate similarly but will feature random items every day, which you cannot find anywhere else.
TV Studio will provide new career opportunities, while the Cinema will be a place where you can take a date or visit alone.
-Localization
Those langauges are our only way to understand the unique language of our beloved Pixelians. 🤓
Our Alpha & Beta backers may have noticed that the game was previously only available in English.
But now, we're excited to announce that our Localization process has kicked off, with Turkish becoming the second language added to the game.
- Stay tuned for more languages coming soon! Additionally, we're planning to reach out to our community soon to see if anyone would like to lend a hand in this localization effort.
3) What's In The Future?
-Steam Next Fest
🌟 We're thrilled to announce our participation in the upcoming Steam Next Fest, scheduled to run from June 10th to 17th. 🌟
During this event, everyone will have the opportunity to play a free public demo for a week, and we're eagerly anticipating your participation!
Following Steam Next Fest, we're planning to launch the game shortly thereafter.
Lastly, feel free to join our Discord if you'd like to be part of our community. 😊
A little personal tribute
I'd like to take a moment to pay tribute to my beloved Felix, who passed away a month ago. He was not just my first cat, but the most wonderful companion I could have hoped for. 🐱
Felix was by my side for nearly the entire development journey of this game. I always pictured him staying with me for many years to come.
Rest in peace, my dear boy. 💖