(Time Range: 2021-11-11 11:14:49 -0500 to 2021-12-31 4:15:09 -0500)

Chapter 4: Painting Ourselves Into A Cliffhanger

v1.1.4: NOVEMBER 11 - 14

On 11-11-21 at around 11:11 (ok, 11:14:49, but I was really trying for it), we rebased our source control repository! This means we essentially copied it over to a new one with a better set-up, and started tracking the project history fresh from that point. (We also got our Unity project that renders our backgrounds and CGs under source control as well! It was just flying loose beforehand, so woo for a secure project history!)

The starting point here is 1.1.3, basically still working on Bennett route. We added emotes to the character system, and gathered credits for the main menu in preparation of upcoming release.

Name input was named as the immediate-term goal.

We also added a testing-only feature, a screen that shows every label in the game and lets you pick one to teleport to. Useful for very precise playtesting! (Also needs to be used with the previous Dev Panel, because many of these label points are expecting the player to have certain stat values.)

v1.1.4 went out for testing!

v1.1.5: NOVEMBER 14 - DECEMBER 5

Lots of bug-testing fixes! (A lot relating to cross-fading between scenes, dialogue weirdness, emotions not being synced up, CG updates. The 'narrator' no longer has an in-game displayed name.) We also standardized a tool we'd been using for uploading test versions, so that anyone on our team can potentially upload fixes.

v1.1.5 in testing!

v1.1.6: DECEMBER 5 - 13

This burst of work mostly focused around applying graphical updates to the Cafe and Bennett, and getting the minigame "demo-ready". (And preparing our uploader tool to upload to the public demo URL!)

Drinking outta cups!

Look at these scenic, comfy chairs.

Boy Art, or, Bart. Little-known fact, this is actually what Bart from The Simpsons' name stands for.

From art, to different art!

Been counting on these updated counters!

Above is original, below is resurfaced!

Can I offer you a cup of jokes?

Putting it all together...

Check that sweet new cup decal!

Had to move the dev panel over to the left side, because Ren'Py default alerts show up at the top-left by default and they were impossible to read!

Added the "Clear All" feature!

The minigame needed a lot of small tweaks, especially related to the states of the buttons. Some paint-tool buttons are an "active tool" while others (like the brush-size buttons) are modifying the currently-active tool. We also made it so the currently-selected color is highlighted, and made it so the 'eraser' wasn't just a lazy switch-to-white-color button, but actually remembers what your selected color is.

You may spy the small blue-frame "active color" indicator. Fixed some issues with colors being specified in short #RGB instead of #RRGGBB format. (Also, that "Save and Exit" button works now!)

Still no bucket tool yet. Maybe never? Deal with it!

Remember that old Triangle icon? It was for the straight-line tool; we didn't feel like it made sense to have it look like a triangle. But we also couldn't settle on what it /should/ look like. This is what we landed on.

New fancy gallery lock image!

v1.1.6: DECEMBER 14 - 24

Did a lot of "outside the game" work, on the launch process on the menu. To prep for a redesigned main menu, we blocked out a new view of the main counter!

Also prepping for a new game icon!

This is what came together for the application icon!

And here's the precursor to the current main menu!

We were originally going to put a "regular menu" above this shot.

But anyway, then we were like, what if we put the menu IN the tablet itself?

v1.1.6 in testing!

v1.1.7: DECEMBER 25

Getting ready to release the demo at this point! But first, we had to add audio support into the game, and demo voice lines throughout the demo. We made an "ambient" audio channel and tied it to the music mixer. We also fixed the meow sound in the splash screen. 

v1.1.7 Demo Release Candidate! We were hoping this one would be good enough to release.

v1.1.8: DECEMBER 25 - 28

But unfortunately, we had to back up and fix a bunch of bugs and even some crash issues. Aaa!

Plus, we weren't happy enough with other elements. The fancy tablet main menu we wanted to go with, needed some visual feedback to feel good.

1.1.8-TESTING... We had to turn our dev/testing help stuff on again. So close, yet so far! Look at this About screen! Does this not look like a completed game to you?

v1.1.9: DECEMBER 28 - 30

A mad dash to get the Demo out before the new year!

All this "on-the-tablet" Main Menu experimentation made us decide, why not make the main menu look like a REAL tablet? (And why not give it a functioning Dark Theme?)

(Looks so good! This is like, version 3 or 4 of the main menu.)

We cleaned up a bunch of unused assets and updated the core licensing and README for the game. Extra little cleanup things to get ready for a professional release!

We also fixed some in-game bugs. We realized if you chose not to sit with Bennett, the game thinks you did anyway! Adding little "sub-routes" like this is probably going to come up a lot.

We also made a "standalone context" for the Painting minigame, so you can play it right from the main menu. This was partially for fun, and partially for testing it faster.

1.1.9-TESTING. WHEN'S IT COMING OUT??

v1.1.10: DECEMBER 30

We found even more things to improve on the way out the door. Like a proper Title Screen, and improving the timing of the music fade-ins. We also added sample-clips to the Audio Settings so you can preview how loud everything will be in relation to each other. (Also found out that the main menu was still active and receiving mouse clicks behind the standalone-minigame "Design Mode", and fixed that!)

We also had to deal with some weird bugginess related to CGs, voice-lines, and how they interact with rolling the story back.

Then we released v1.1.10-TESTING and prepped the Public Demo version as well, thinking it would be good enough!

THEN we released v1.1.10-p1 to both channels! Aaaah!

Will the Couch Lions ever release their game demo? (Obviously, yes, it already happened.) What will happen?? The suspense is killing me!

To wrap this Patch Notes up, close your eyes and imagine that you are in our game, and we are Hugo, and this patch notes was supposed to be a dark roast coffee with a shot of espresso. This is how the end of this Patch Notes would go.

Then you would say something clever about how this metaphor only sort-of fits.

We are impressed by your quick wit and cordially invite you to the next edition of the Patch Notes!