Changelog
Initial milestone
This section details the journey of implementing the game in Godot and fleshing out the mechanical aspects to make it playable.
Pre-alpha
| Started | Ended |
|---|---|
| Spring 2019 | Spring 2020 |
Pre-alpha was the process of porting the existing code from Unity in to godot, which mostly consisted of "existence" code such as being able to walk around, focus on things, turn your head, and load different scenes as well as implementing a basic user interface, character creation and few basic items to look around you. So basically, the essential stuff to get up and going. I released only a few pre-alpha builds as I was figuring out where to take this project, and until I had a clear view, I just wanted to get the groundwork down.
Alpha 1
| Started | Ended |
|---|---|
| June 2020 | August 2020 |
Alpha 1 was to implement proper character customization and multiplayer synchronization. For this, I created the Kemoverse Server that keeps track of players in the world as well as saving custom user data in a database that is directly connected to the Kemoverse Forums user account. The character customization was also updated to allow for individual coloring of either mesh parts or of texture parts of the clothes. Character customizations are made to be saved and loaded as a long text code.
Alpha 2
| Started | Ended |
|---|---|
| September 2020 | November 2020 |
- Changed company name and updated Login/Intro screen
- Improved some repeating textures
- Improved spawning system
- Added motion blur and CRT effect
- Improved some equipment and added flashlight
- Lots and lots of various small fixes
- Refined and standardized ambient feeling in every area
- Refined main school (/l school_main) and library (/l school_main_lib)
- Refined workshop (/l school_workshop) and added rooms (_art, _photo, _lab, etc)
- Refined church (/l school_church)
- Improved target menu (the menu that appears when interacting with something)
- Improved quickmenu (bottom right icons) with hotkeys Z,X,C,V
- C interacts with the closest interactable object
- V either cycles pose, stops an emote or unequips an equipped item
- Expanded "pack" and "area" main menu tab
Alpha 2, named the "Theme update", was to implement a day and night cycle and special feelings in to each and every currently implemented are of the game. 3D models were refined and reimported due to a fixed bug in Godot and shadow baking was massively improved. The interaction menu and the UI were further refined and streamlined and some functionality was added, namely the motion blur. All of the interior areas were cleaned up.
Alpha 3
| Started | Ended |
|---|---|
| December 2020 | January 2021 |
- Implementation of phone and book
- Tweaking models
Alpha 4
| Started | Ended |
|---|---|
| April 2021 | May 2021 |
- Improved interactions with objects (door, chair, etc)
- Better camera edge detection
- New Felinae race model
- Remake most animations
- Room customization, with item placement and wallpaper/floor
- Vehicles (skateboard, computer chair)
- Computer Touhou-like game
- RigidBody physics
- Raindrop shader
- Vending machine
- Lowered system requirements and lowered cpu usage
- Added music playing and visualizer system
- More map/worldbuilding
Alpha 5
| Started | Finished |
|---|---|
| May 2021 | June 2021 |
Kemze was started.
- Intro video and cutscene work
- Redesigned character customization
- Many more character and clothing patterns
- Weather transitions
- Sound and ambience tracks
- Music demos in certain areas
- Player savefile and story progression
- Overhauled and streamlined UI
- New player tag look
- Student book and phone menus functional
Later, the first trailer was released.
Alpha 6
| Started | Finished |
|---|---|
| June 2021 | August 2021 |
Summer update.
- Fleshing out room customization
Hiatus
There was a year-long development hiatus due to life changes and the need to reflect on the content, purpose and goal of the game. The initial ideas and plan were very ambitious (but also open to change), however, the content beyond the school wasn't fleshed out and the planned features were too heavy. After taking this year-long break to think about the worldbuilding and the contents of it, it reached a more mature level.
Alpha 7
| Started | Finished |
|---|---|
| July 2022 | October 2022 |
Post-college update. Lots of cool enhancements to the world.
- Redesigned campus environment with new buildings and nature
- New trees and vegetation that sways in the wind
- Added a moon during the night
- New loading screen with loading bar
- Introduced gardening and bug-catching systems with special tools
- Added some prototype music to the campus.
- Improved light and shading systems, shadows now enabled
- Improved reflections
- Improved furry face detail and expressions
- Introduced LOD system
- Better sounds and ambient tracks
- Redesigned and improved all haircuts
- Fixed clothing clipping issues
Alpha 8
| Started | Finished |
|---|---|
| October 2022 |
Yet another attempt at working full-time on this thing. Let's hope this works. Lots of exciting updates!
- Hugely improved LOD system
- Increased performance and setting toggles
- Introduced character schedules and actionscript editor
- Improved all emotes and animations
- Improved face animations
- Made the character mood settings work
- Fixed and improved the idle animations (G and Ctrl+G)
- Fleshed out school main/lib/loc
- Text color depends on distance
- Fixed players facing the wrong way when logging in
- Chat icons and custom text effects
- New intro video and story cutscene