Edit - Our discord (The original link I didn't realize discord puts a expiry on, updated and fixed it now!)
Hello folks! For this devblog update I finished some big goals for the game! I focused on wrapping up what I called 'Alpha 2' which focused on finishing our core systems, and getting the game stable enough for a very rough early demo! I did this so the game could get a bit better promoted in the steam fishing festival. Now that the systems are in place, I can begin moving into 'Alpha 3' and focus on content, which is way more exciting to show to people!
Demo Launch
The demo is now officially accessible on the main store page! However I caution against trying it out yet - The game has very little content/polish since I had to build the skeleton first. It's more of a 'Do you like the idea of this game?'
I'd wait to try the demo when we've made enough progress in Alpha 3 and I've gotten much more content for the shop, town and biomes
I will put out patches to the demo over time; But I will mostly be focusing on the beta branch so the players can test it first and make tweaks/fixes
Once the content looks stable, I'll push it onto the demo and we'll keep building up a stronger early game for people to experience
We now have a discord, you can join via the link on the page here if you are interested in joining the beta branch or just have questions or suggestions for the game (Especially for fish ideas)
Shop Level 3
I plan on doing another pass on this shop! I want to have a better fish sign, and I need to get doors for it still
Way more floor space
Unlocks better furniture for your store that isn't made out of cardboard and feeling like a hobo! You got a roof over your head now
Display Shelf Level 2 & New Animation
I'm actually not happy with the art direction of this, I plan on overhauling it down the road - But it works which is the most important thing! It holds up to 3 fish and displays your fish price
Made a very janky animation of you tossing the fish onto the shelf, just adds a bit of fun to it!
I think the redesign should be more metal-ish and not plywood, this kinda doesn't match the store it unlocks with
I'll keep the model still, and maybe this could simply be another shelf to let you choose from - I'm all about variety in simulator games
Bait Boosters
This is still very early and rough; I want to do cooler animations and effects! I definitely want a good dopamine factor going on
Later on, we might experiment with you having a chance to pull some kind of super-bait
Tutorial
Very very rough tutorial right now! I'll keep it rough because the game is in alpha and will keep evolving
When I get into Beta, then I'll replace images with little videos instead
Title Announcer
Totally not needed, but I love the idea of some cinema in my janky game - Hopefully gives you a bit of chills knowing you entered a new biome
Unlocking Biomes
Very rough and silly looking right now! But it works, and that's what was most important
You currently pay money to blast open a blocked off area, which leads you to the ocean biome
Later on I'd love to have a shady NPC show up, and you have to talk to him and offer him money to blow open the entrances
Your home region will be like a central hub which connects more and more to the biomes
Alpha 3 Content
Now that we finished all my Alpha 2 goals, we are moving into Alpha 3 which is way more content focused
This also can mean improving mechanics (The fishing rod, NPC's, etc)
More fish, more shop props, more NPC's are planned
I want to start making the town that builds around your shop look really interesting
Make biomes more interesting and having lots of cool areas to explore to find fishing spots
Here is some of the items I've gotten done already for Alpha 3
The hidden pond - Located in the Ocean biome, this is tucked away in the forest
New Fish - Giga Guppy! This will be a bit of a rarer catch to find in the hidden pond
Save System
This is very ugly right now - But it was a huge victory to get this working properly! You can now have as many save files as you want
When you save a game, it moves to the top of the list
Time stamps for your save file - Really happy this is working its a nice quality-of-life for users