Progress report for March 2023. We have prepared a roadmap, planning our objectives for the rest of the year. We would like to share this list with you and discuss it a little.

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Roadmap

While actively creating content for early access, which includes working on the script, text, visuals and soundtrack, we are busy rethinking the demo, thanks to the feedback we have received from the audience. In the first half of the year we plan to improve the controls, add controller support and key reassignment to make the gameplay more comfortable for you.

Many players had difficulties with button designation in the game's interface and it was hard for newcomers to the genre to understand what function the settings perform. Therefore, we will add hints so that any player will get comprehensive information about the buttons and settings.

In the early version of the game, which we plan to release at the end of the year, you'll be able to complete two full storylines with William and Silvan, unlocking all the endings of the orange branch, and then we'll continue working on the blue, red and purple branches, which will reveal six more love interests.

And we also want to implement all the screens we didn't have enough time to prepare for the demo: gallery, smartphone customization, route map, so you get visual information about the available game content. And we'll add an interface for the reputation system, so you can keep track of your relationship level with the characters. This feature can be disabled in the game settings if you so desire.

Content

In March we resumed work on the script, prepared some of the visuals and approved the plan for a range of content, access to which has been blocked for a number of reasons. Let's take a closer look at each area.

The script

Work on the Silvan's route is well underway. We have about 25 scenes planned in the script, and we are now on the eighteenth. The plan is to finish the text during April, after which the material will be handed over to the script doctor, editor, proofreader and translator. If everything goes according to plan, we will start voice acting for the game's early access in the summer.

The demo version as you know it now will not be included in the early access.

• Some scenes will be edited minimally, with just a couple of lines changed.
• Other scenes, including those with dialogues, we plan to carefully refine to improve the characters' portrayal.
• The description of some of the choices will be changed so as not to mislead the player.
• The branching between the red and purple route will be significantly changed. This applies to the scenes that followed after the interactions with the musician Ryu. Some of the scenes will be rewritten and new ones will appear, including some with illustrations.
• There are also plans to rework the "backstage" scenes on behalf of other characters. And a new one will be added to shed some light on the reason for Beatrice's arrest.

This was a hard decision for us to make, as it requires extra time, funding and rolls us back a bit. But we really want to better reveal characters like for example Morris, whose role in the club no one seems to have understood. We'll even get a little hint of his occupation when we start the illustrations in April.

The storybook

In March we managed to finish the stories of the real March cat, Morris. His series has turned out to be interesting and diverse: an indulgent lifestyle, fun, a meticulous revision of his father's club, an Oedipus complex, rivalry, betrayal in show business, a colourful past and a sudden weight of responsibility.

The next series is Charlie's story, which is no surprise. If you've played the demo, you've already noticed that these characters are close. They have a lot in common, but the details will only be revealed in their routes. And you will be able to experience their connection through a collection of stories.

Characters

We continue to work on Lucie's sprites. In the previous report we showed you this girl in full-face, and today we are already working on her 3/4 pose. In April we will finish working on her sprite from the side and then move on to the next character.

While we were reworking Silvan's route scenes, it was decided to remove one of the sprites from the plan. In the prototype, this character - we won't say which one yet - appeared in three scenes. We changed the script so that we could do with just one illustration. It took the load off the character designer, made the development a little cheaper, and the story only benefited from that.

Illustrations

There was a lot of wonderful romance between Silvan and Beatrice this month. Warm embraces, reverent kisses, tenderness and care in critical situations. We made an exact list of all the necessary art when we went back to the script. In April we will be compiling specifications for artists to bring this beauty to life.

See you next month!