Hey, hello, what's up! Back again with another update of Kemoverse Online, and this one is real snazzy.

But first - and you know exactly what I'll talk about - you should check out our Ko-Fi. And I don't mean for the purpose of subscribing and becoming a funder - I want you to take a look at the current subscription count! Seven of them - that's really cool! It's really nice, encouraging, and motivating for me to continue on, which is what I'd do anyways, but it helps a lot with the practical stuff: everything from paying the server costs, investing in development hardware, buying groceries and paying rent, and just compensating from the full attention I've got on this game. I've got nothing but gratitude to give to the current supporters as you're helping me pick this development studio up from humble beginnings.

And beginnings they are, since I have a lot of plans and ambitions - of course, they should be realistic and reachable, so that means monitoring the game: speaking with the players, checking what game parts are used, which ones are not used, and cut out the time-consuming parts. For example, I had many plans to do various types of kitchen foods, but these ended up being quite complex pieces of code for just making food, which isn't really the point of the game. And instead, I've chosen to focus more on NPCs, storytelling, and social events.

But first, let's review what has happened.

Rave events

KemZrave 2 and MushZrave music was held - the former being very popular, and the latter being very fun. KemZrave 2 was an experiment to play live story together with a live directed music event. It was an atmospheric night although not without its technical difficulties. Well, that's the price  of experimenting and bringing new and interesting gameplay! And it seemed to be enjoyed by both DJs and players alike. MushZrave on the other hand was a silly, hectic, and playful event with some improvised battle modes that came up on the spot. That was also very appreciated, as were the participation gifts, associated stories, and atmospheres. Both worlds had event-specific models, scripts, and behavior, and they help bring that special flavor and memorable style - the participants confirm that!

So, in conclusion, it was great! There were many new faces and the community pulse is invigorated - and that's where I think this game really shines: a combination of personal expressions with fun and engaging social reasons to show up. It's simply a good time for everybody.

Since the last few posts, there's been some more experimental attempts at holding NPC-led events. The most interesting part is how engaging players are even with the limited resources - the basic graphics, story, and the time spent acting - and yet the ones who attend the events are serious and participate with genuine interest. It's a fascinating dynamic in a virtual space, one that I feel is not explored too much in games and something I feel can be a real strength of Kemoverse Online. 

So far, Merka has been holding room inspection days (giving a little theme to follow and awarding the most decorated rooms), while Onrakh has been holding classes that has taught more about the world and lore of the Kemoverse. And yes, that is Onrakh in the picture. The new NPC! She's a golden retriever and is commonly referred to as the "main teacher". She's the energetic, active, and initiative-taking figure of the school. The response has been very enthusiastic, so me and Lumi have continued to plan and worked on adding more NPCs.

For now, I'm cutting back on both the community and lore events as they did incur an incredibly heavy burden on my mind. I cannot wait until the day when a writer/actor can join the team and help out with this! However, I do plan on holding lighter and more regular "chill" type events that has music - thanks to the collaboration between me and sheepsheep. They did in fact suggest making music events in the first place!

Other features

Alpha 15 has many improved features:

• Android build now has on-screen navigation and a slew of touch system improvments 
• I composed and added 5 new little looping themes used for NPC-led events
• Merka can now handle registering a room at the Sanctuary
• The foodraise is vastly simplified and understandable for new players
• Cards swapping is now re-enabled

And in general, little bugs, quirks, and confusing elements were refined. Lots of smaller bugs were fixed from player feedback and hopefully lessens the confusion. All in all, not a lot of new features (but lots of work under the hood, I can tell you that), but just further refining and improvement. 

What's next?

Anyways, just like I mentioned at the start, I've been looking over how the game is actually played and what my focus should be at - implementing all the things needed for a typical playing experience. Hence why I cut/stall some complicated features for now (making foods, custom clothing textures, holding many npc events, that kind of stuff) and work on the more essential things:

• Add some remaining big systems: replace spraycan with a ink/brush system, instrument playing system
• Make the foodraise and food gathering more in-depth
• Add the remaining NPCs and make them appear and spend time in the world for you to chat to
• Continue holding social events to continue the community activity and gather new players
• Add extra content to help build up an income: build up the shop and offer unique pieces of clothing.

And basically, that's my plan for the rest of the year. Looking back on my Roadmap post, I feel like I outdid myself and managed to hit the "playable" threshold earlier than I anticipated. It's been incredibly hard work (but also rewarding) and in return, new players have been dropping in on the regular. Some have even tried out the new version of the Android version, which had some sorely needed performance improvements. In general, I kind of lack the proper tools for fast-paced, "real" development - I do work on my personal PC and Android phone for development. Mostly by myself.

About marketing. I did spend a few bucks trying out an ad slot on FurAffinity, which led to some moderate increase in impressions but not that many new regular players. Perhaps the game is still a bit unclear in its message in these early days, so that's something I have to work on. Marketing is also still a big headache; but the positive thing is that for the people who resonate with the game, they seem to really like it. The atmosphere, playing style, and social aspect seems to be a recurring and appreciated theme.