Hello, lovely players! I’m YaMao, and this is the third devlog for Shiba Sweet, as well as the first one for 2025—marking exactly one year since I started developing this game solo!
Looking back to the end of January last year, I kept building and refining game ideas in my mind until I finally decided to take action. I wrote my very first GDD, fueled by my passion for 3D art. I started with cute dessert designs and models, turning my favorite sweets into Shiba-themed creations. Some of these desserts even became part of the main logo!
The development process has been a mix of joyful and challenging moments. As a seasoned gamer, I sometimes feel like making a game is its own kind of game—except this one isn’t carefully crafted by someone else. The gameplay process depends entirely on the developer’s skills, experience, and project management abilities. All I can do is give it my best and hope to find players who resonate with this world I’m building with my own hands.
Here’s what I worked on this month:
1. Documentation: Adding More Item Details
While working on the game, I encountered gaps in my original GDD, which meant going back to revise and add details. It felt like my brain was running laps, but this has been a valuable learning experience. I’m confident my next GDD will be much better.
When introducing items, instead of dry, encyclopedia-style descriptions, I prefer playful, whimsical ones. For example, high-gluten flour is described as “A powerful superhero, kneading and shaping to protect the world of cooking,” while yeast is “A vibrant magician, using its magic to bring fluffy and fragrant bread to life.”
2. A Month Full of Game Feature Development
a. Store Exterior Decoration System
Besides baking in the kitchen, players can stroll outside the shop to see various NPCs and purchase decorations to give the storefront a fresh new look, boosting the overall decor score.
Though the UI is still in the sketch phase, I’m focusing on clarity and readability. Players should always know which button they’ve selected, what the next step is after clicking, and receive clear messages if they run out of balance. The goal is a seamless, effortless purchasing experience.
b. Ingredient Shop System
After completing the exterior decoration system, it felt like unlocking a new skill tree for me. I was able to repurpose much of the code logic for the ingredient shop inside the kitchen. It even cutting development time in half.
Now, players can buy ingredients, receive packaged ingredient boxes from their mailbox, and transport and store them in the kitchen. This system integrates smoothly with the ingredient cabinet feature developed last month, creating a cohesive flow for purchasing, receiving, transporting, and storing items.
3. A Bit of Modeling Time
a. Trophy Models
Despite being submerged in endless coding this month, I carved out a little time for modeling. I completed the trophies players earn after passing chef rank challenges and imported them into the game engine with proper materials.
b. Cute Little Tables
In addition to the four existing table designs, I created several more with different styles. I hope players can decorate their kitchens to reflect their personal aesthetic, turning the space into a cozy as well as customized haven.
4. Wrapping Up
If art is about finding the best design style, programming is about exploring all possibilities. Sometimes, a bug will stump me all night. But after a fresh cup of milk tea the next morning, I’ll solve it in ten minutes. It’s such an interesting field.
Shiba Sweet is still moving forward, piecing together every part with care. I hope one day it will be polished enough to meet your expectations. Honestly, I love this game deeply, but long-term development can be exhausting—a feeling many indie devs face. However, as long as there are players out there waiting, I’ll keep fluttering my wings like a little fairy from *Peter Pan.* I will keep coding the next line and sculpting the next cute model, until this game can become a part of your life in its complete form.
Thank you for reading this far. See you in next month’s devlog!
Follow my development journey:
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Maowoo-studio
TikTok Channel: https://www.tiktok.com/@maowoo_studio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shiba__sweet/