Overview
I am extremely happy to announce that I finally have an Art Director on board to help with all things art related! The overall vibe of the game will still stay the same but the style would evolve over time. I hope you'll stick around to see the awesome stuff that she comes up with.
Aside from that, I have completed the most of the refactoring and UI overhauls as mentioned last update which I am very excited to share!
Steam Store Page
Over the course of the last few months, I'm getting a better understanding of what The Perfect Bowl is about and I think its time for an update! Please do check out the new Steam Store Page!!
Art
Our First Character Key Visual
Introducing Jim's dad! Strong and gruff with a passion for Ramen. Being a single parent is tough. Not knowing how to communicate with his child is tougher.
The art style is not fully locked in yet but Dad represents the direction that we are going for. Eventually every element will match the visuals set by the character art making everything look more cohesive, including the ramen bowl.
Features
Ache/Sooth System
Two sides of the same coin. Aches represent the customers current issues that needs to be removed to feel better. Sooths are the cures to these issues. Every topping is rated to help with a certain ache. The player will not be able to continue unless ALL aches are soothed.
Updated Dialogue System
Important conversation moments would be marked with an icon indicating customer aches the player would need to sooth with the appropriate topping. This is done in hopes that there would be a sense of "risk/reward" when deciding to go with those dialogue options as resources (toppings) are limited. The intended scenario would be that players might not be able to achieve their desired flavour dialogue if they decide to take on more aches than their resources can handle.
Character Tolerance
A range of acceptable flavour values have been implemented to modify the players experience. Each customer has a tolerance level when determining if the flavor profiles are acceptable to them. The player must be within this range in order for them to unlock that flavour dialogue option.
Bowl Colour Customization Options
Bowl colors are now customizable for better player expression.
Assist Mode
Some players find it difficult to achieve the look they want which causes frustration. For players who have lesser background with 3d software, I'm going to try solving it with an Assist Mode which would reduce the number of controls available.
Updates
More Customization Options
Being able to switch between noodle types is now functioning. Each noodle type has its own flavour and benefits.
Flavour Graph
Flavor compositions are now represented in a heuristic graph form for more pleasing visuals
Soup Mode
A special mode has been added whenever the player wants to add soup. There were a lot of UX issues cropping up because of how the pouring system works. So I decided to add a special mode to hopefully address those issues by making interaction during this mode exclusive to pouring of soup.
Axis Indicators
A set of axis visualizers which would hopefully orient players when manipulating the topping.