Hello, there! This is Cat Society!
We've made it through Taipei Game Show 2024, and then the Steam Next Festival last month. We were blown away by how much more people enjoyed Sara and her friends' story than we expected, from all over the world. It made us very happy and energized! It also taught us a lot about the direction of Dungeon Inn, so we'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all one more time for your interest in Dungeon Inn and for playing it. We'd also like to take this opportunity to apologize for the unfortunate delay in our development schedule.
Delayed EA Release Date (24.Jun. → 2024.Nov.) & Closed Beta Coming soon
At the start of the Steam Next festival, we had planned to release Early Access in June 2024. However, after careful consideration of the feedback we received at the festival and the advice we received both inside and outside of the game, we've decided to push the Early Access release date to this fall in order to greet you with a more polished game when it launches. Instead, we're going into closed beta with the build that was originally scheduled for Early Access.
Again, we sincerely apologize for the delay and ask for your patience and understanding.
What's Coming Up?
Based on the feedback we received at the Steam Next festival, we're working on the following.
Divide the Difficulty Level
"Who should Dungeon Inn be a game for?"
This is a question we've been asking ourselves since we first announced .
I think the key to , and I'm a little embarrassed to say this, is its compelling art and unique gameplay. Art is a first impression. Attractive art greatly lowers the barrier of entry to a gameAnd play is what keeps people in the game, and we're trying to provide original and strategic play in Dungeon Inn.
Here's the problem. Based on the art alone, Dungeon Inn appeals to a light/casual/cozy gamer, but the gameplay is aimed at a midcore gamer. The players that the two elements appeal to are split. One of the things we heard a lot from people who visited our booth at exhibitions was, "The art looks casual, but the game isn't as easy as I thought it would be."
At a game show in Korea, one of the things we heard from people who visited our booth was, "The art looks casual, but the game isn't as easy as I thought it would be." Some people said the game was too hard, and some said it was too easy. In that situation, we were developing the game in the direction of making the difficulty a little easier and improving the UI/UX convenience as much as possible to make it easier to understand the gameplay, since we couldn't satisfy all players.
And then after the Steam Next festival. We heard from enough people. And we realized we didn't have to aim for a single point between the two groups. We thought, why not just split the difficulty between easy and hard? People who want to relax and enjoy the story of Sara and her friends can play the easy mode, while those who want a more tense and strategic approach to the game can play the hard mode.
There will be some slight differences in level design between difficulty levels, but since it's a story-driven game, the gimmick mix per stage won't change much, nor will the final rewards in the game. We've learned a lot from the Steam Next festival about what people struggle with, and we'll be able to place the right amount of tension and randomization in the game depending on the difficulty level.
Intergrating Fame And Adding Managing Ability EXP
We're combining the Fame that was divided into 'Entertainment', 'Dining', and 'Dungeoneering' into one Fame, and simplifying the 'Earn basic fame when visiting + additional fame when using facilities' to 'Earn fame when visiting'.
Instead, we've added the notion that using an establishment increases its 'Ability', which is divided into three categories: 'Operations', 'Service', and 'Food', and unlike Fame, is a number that is managed in common across guilds. This factor is used as a condition for purchasing new facilities, as well as to select special options in various Happenings. This skill is primarily increased when guests use the relevant facilities.
Changing Term Around Suspicious : Suspicious Level → Battle Count
In "Dungeon Inn", 'Suspicions' and 'Suspicion Levels' are used as threats to detection of double-dealing business. We're replacing the term 'Suspicion Levels' with a more intuitive term, "Battle Count," because the two terms have very similar names, which can be confusing to players and cause translation issues.
More Emphasis on Adventurers Using Inns
In stage, we want to show players how adventurers spend their time when they stay at the Inn. So we're changing the structure and apperance of the Inn's interior, and whereas previously we only showed the adventurer's use of the facility as an icon, we now want to show the adventurer moving through the facility.
Gold Tokens and Sara's Secret Room
What happens to Sara's hard-earned money while she's open?
While earning money was presented as a goal in the stages, there wasn't a specific place to spend all the money - it was kind of like a score. Going forward, in each theme, a percentage of the money Sara earns will be converted into Gold Tokens, which player can use like a joker to purchase facilities. And any leftover money will be used to decorate her room!
Upcoming Development Schedule
Including the above enhancements, the development schedule for in 2024 looks like this.
2024.Apr. : Update Demo
The April release will only add the following from the February release.
- Separate difficulty levels, intergrating fame, and adding abilities
2024.Jun. : Do Closed Beta
- Add 8 stages (total 12 stages)
- Add character skill system – As the story progresses, each character gains skills. – You can choose one of the character skills and use it on the stage.
- Additional facilities and facility upgrade system – New facilities will be available to purchase. – You can upgrade facilities(Normal Tavern -> Sports Pub or Tavern with Bar, etc.).
- Add facility usage visualizations – You can see the adventurers using the facility on the stage.
2024.Nov. : Release Early Access
- ncorporate feedback from closed beta testing and polish the game.
- Add achievements
- Add a new stage
- New character appears
2025 : Release Full Version
- We're releasing it with all 48 stages in total.
- Reflect secondary elements such as collections, decorations, etc.
- Add unlimited mode
We're so sorry to announce that we've had to delay our release date once again, following the delay late last year. We appreciate your patience, and we're looking forward to showing you a more polished game.
We hope you'll stick with us and Sara on this journey until the end.
Thank you very much.
Best Regards,
Cat Society