Thank you guys for your patience. We've had our ups and downs over the past couple of months, but nothing has stopped us from being hard at work on Museum Keeper!
So, today's dev blog is going to give a overview of the game design. The screenshots and the teaser posts on reddit and X have already made clear that the game has two fundamentally different aspects to it:
The Museum Gameplay:
The titular museum may get a slight edge over the underground mines in terms of how much time the player spends there. Sort of like 60% to 40%. The reason for this is simply because the museum gameplay acts as the main hub of the game. It is from this part of the game that the player has access to the local town and its townsfolk. We’ll get into details about the townsfolk in the coming weeks and months in separate dev blogs, but for now, we can say that we are doing our best to create compelling, complex characters. These characters will be instrumental in progressing the game’s story and will provide players with additional secrets and character development to uncover - much like Stardew Valley - one of our core inspirations.
Aside from telling you guys why this side of the game may be the slight majority of the game, let’s get into what else happens here.
Of course, we’ve got most of the staple elements of tycoon games. Staff, food and drinks, souvenir stores, trash cans, bathrooms, custom flooring and wallpaper, guests and their tantrums, and most every other feature that has become mainstays of tycoon games. This is also the place in which the player will decide where in the world they want to go in search for artifacts. As previously mentioned, this’ll be the place to access the various townsfolk and also the place where most of the major story events will happen. So what happens in the mining side of the game?
The Mining Gameplay:
Alright, welcome to the mines! This is the more action-packed part of the game. Find hundreds of precious, location-specific artifacts down in these procedurally-generated depths and be on the look out for other useful resources you can use for crafting all sorts of handy mining devices. Be sure to take as much of your mining devices with you on your last day. That’s right! You have 5 in-game days to scour the mines for everything valuable before your digging ‘permit’ runs out! Oh, and did we mention the hordes of slimes, bats, and other aggressive mobs that are down there! Yup, you’ll need to keep your sword handy!
Every major feature we’ve mentioned in this dev blog will get its own dev blog that will go into finer details! So be sure to check-in with us when you can!
Take care folks, and don’t forget to wishlist and follow the game!