Release v0.1.0 - Two Front Teeth

This version of the game marks the first major release after the initial round of playtests, and contains new features, improvements, and changes based on the feedback received. This release also represents what I think could be the core set of features for the game. While there is a lot of work still to be done, depth and polish to add, this could be the sturdy base for the rest of development. We'll see how playtest #2 goes and find out!

New Features

There are six new features introduced with this release: Crafting, Friendship & Assistants, Shop Upgrades, Traveling, Adventure Preparations, and Social Stats.

Crafting

Make items to sell or use by combining ingredients. This ties nicely into the game as a way to get rid of lower value items and gain higher value items. It also opens the door for additional gameplay systems like Enchanting and Alchemy that can fit into the footprint of something simple like crafting. Crafting also provides a way for the player to gain access to new and interesting items in a predictable way.

Friendship & Assistants

Gain various bonuses while doing activities by teaming up with characters and having them assist you! Each character has one ore more abilities tied to the different activities the player can do. Simply choose a character to join you who isn't busy, and pay the required Friendship Points to gain the bonus. Friendship Points are specific to each character and can be gained by selling them items they want, and spending time talking to them.

Assistant abilities range from providing additional cards during Battles to increasing the number of items available in the market. While not yet implemented, Assistant abilities will also improve as your friendship grows with that character, granting access to more efficient or unique effects.

Shop Upgrades

Upgrade your shop with new pieces of furniture, or spend time cleaning to add more spaces to sell items! Furniture provides bonuses to your shop, like increasing how much money an item sells for, but are planned to also allow improved player efficiency or control over their shop. Something like a Potion Rack might allow you to stock multiple potions in a single spot, or a Full Length Mirror could increase the sale of clothing items.

You can also upgrade the shop itself. Initially cleaning the front shelves of the shop to open up 3 additional spaces to sell items from. There are many ways you might imagine improving your shop! Building another room, or redecorating could also be part of upgrading your shop in the future.

Travel

Travel to nearby forests to gather herbs, to faraway lands to gather exotic items, or to towns and cities for trade. Traveling outside the safety of the town walls doesn't come without dangers however! Battle enemies, encounter travelers, and gather materials as you work your way to your destination and back to town. Should you fall in battle though, you'll find yourself limping back to town, unable to complete your journey. Hopefully no-one too sinister finds you on your way back or you may lose what little rewards you were able to claim!

This system is designed as a sort of rogue-lite transportation network for the game. While there currently is no threat of losing your items, it's something I think would add a fun level of risk and danger to the game. Moving between locations on the map also opens up a lot of interesting options in terms of game design, and story writing.

Adventure Preparations

Prepare for adventures by equipping items and bringing assistants. These items change which cards are available to you when Battling allowing you to customize your strategy and create even more powerful hands. Assistants can provide additional Battle cards, but may also provide bonuses during Travel. Allowing you to heal between battles, or have a chance to gain additional resources.

Each equipment item can be used in 1 of the 5 different equipment slots. Each slot providing a general guideline for the type of cards or other benefits the item may provide. Items equippable in your Main-Hand, for example, will usually provide Attack cards. Equipment and Assistants will be the primary way you gain strength as the game progresses.

Social Stats

Understand your relationships with characters by seeing what your top interactions with them have been, and any notable events that have occurred with that character. The social stats system allows players to keep tabs on different characters and will eventually open up options to explore their unique stories more deeply.

Redesigned Features

While many features have changed (almost all of them did), Shopping underwent a complete redesign!

Shopping

The feedback from the first playtest highlighted a lot of problems with the previous Shopping experience, and while there were a few things people liked, the majority of feedback was critical and so trying out a different direction felt like the right move.

Match the right items with the right customers to increase the rewards gained from selling that item! Each character has certain items preferences giving them a clearer identity, and each item has one ore more types characters will go shopping for. While you no longer get to choose the price to sell your items at, deciding which combination of items to stock provides a similar strategic choice we think is even more satisfying!

In addition to characters wanting certain types of items, there are also plans to introduce additional constraints as the game progresses. Type of items the character want to avoid, and types that provide additional rewards when matched, are two ideas currently in the works.

Conclusion

This release has a lot of changes and really aims to round out the core mechanics of the game. I hope you enjoy the changes, and as always I look forward to your feedback and continued support! Thanks for reading!