Greetings, adventurers!
It is time for our once-every-two-months devlog again!
These past two months have mainly been about preparing for the Early Access version.
I thought it would be easy to summarize the updates, but when I looked back, I realized that several major systems had been connected during this period.
So, let us take a look at what has been added over the past two months!
The Grand Codex and Goddess's Blessing
First, let us talk about the two most important long-term progression systems from the past two months: The Grand Codex and Goddess's Blessing.
Items found during adventures are no longer only for equipping, using, or selling. They can now also be registered in The Grand Codex.
After registering items, players can obtain Sands of Time. Sands of Time can then be used to activate Goddess's Blessing.
Goddess's Blessing is a long-term enhancement system tied to Chronoshift. Once activated, these blessings will not disappear when a single adventure ends.
In other words, even when one timeline reaches its end, players can begin the next adventure with the blessings they have already activated.
This is one of the key progression loops in Deadline Savior:
Collect items and register them in The Grand Codex.
Gain Sands of Time and activate blessings.
After Chronoshift, set out again with those blessings, and make your next adventure go further.
During this period, we also added page turning, sound effects, shortcut controls, item materialization, Sands of Time cost hints, and the Goddess's Blessing interface, including node connections, unlock animations, zooming, dragging, and hover descriptions.
We hope every piece of loot brought back from an adventure can leave a mark on the timeline.
Class Expertise
The class system has also gained new expertise-related content.
Beyond the original differences between classes, characters can now grow further through expertise levels.
We have connected expertise upgrades, the expertise panel display, character creation value handling, and part of the actual gameplay logic.
In the future, players will be able to invest in their favorite classes and help these adorable little heroes conquer even tougher adventures.
Chronoshift and the Chronopack
Over these two months, we have also continued organizing the flow related to Chronoshift.
This includes map conclusion, Sands of Time acquisition animations, the Chronopack, the Chronoshift interface, as well as the costs and presentation related to the Chronopack.
Sands of Time will be an important resource for crossing different timelines.
Through The Grand Codex, Goddess's Blessing, map conclusion, and Chronoshift, players can gradually accumulate the results of each adventure into longer-term growth.
The timeline will remember your efforts!
Mini Mode
Mini Mode has finally been implemented in the game.
The goal of this mode is to let players keep their character and Pomodoro timer in a small window beside the desktop, without having to keep the full game screen open all the time.
While you work, your character continues adventuring, and you can focus more easily on your own tasks.
Mini Mode currently supports dragging, always-on-top display, scaling, Pomodoro display, hunger, experience bars, focus reward hints, task lists, and several interactions synchronized with the main screen.
It is not just about making the screen smaller. We hope it will let Deadline Savior stay naturally by your side during your working hours.
Next Major Goal
Our next major goal is preparing for the Early Access release in August.
Development has now entered the integration and polishing stage for the EA version.
Before the official release, we plan to open a small-scale closed test for some players in July.
If you are interested in Deadline Savior, or if you would like to join early testing and provide feedback, you are welcome to join our Discord.
There have truly been so many updates over the past two months that it is hard to list them all.
But as these systems gradually come together, Deadline Savior is getting closer and closer to the experience we envisioned: a game that accompanies players through work, breaks, and adventures, while fighting procrastination together.
See you in the next devlog!
