Here we are at the end of 2024 - an interesting year of development that I want to mark as the end of Alpha and arrival of Beta. As I’ve mentioned in a status update from half a year ago:

Alpha is for adding prototypes and experimental new content, and Beta is for refinement and adding story content.

I’d say this goal was, more or less, accomplished. I do not have any remaining large features to add to improve content creation, and the necessity to depthen, explore and write the world of Kemoverse was waiting in the distance. I know it’s objectively the right thing because it would contribute to the stand-alone gameplay replayability and immersion, much like the principles of visual design, only instead with the imagination of the mind over a longer period of time.

And so, Alpha came and stayed until I felt like it was the right time to move on, which is… now. It was a mixture of personal development and game development refining slowly over time as the game matured. Let’s review this.

Development insights

The development continued through-out but not as ‘full-time’ as I’d hoped. In summary, I came to the realization that relying entirely on online activity was not worth the effort. From the perspective of the game, the people who did visit, most were uninterested in the experience itself (and understandably so from the lack of content so as to prioritize online involvement) and those who were invested in logging in every day did so because others did the same, further hinging the game activity on my initiative for events and social connections. When there was no initiative, everyone dropped off like flies.

My expectation was that the online part would invite those interested in roleplaying, storytelling, exploring characters and worldbuilding, and perhaps voice their opinion and encourage it. Sure, a fraction of them did - but creating the story content took a back-seat and I had no time or focus to work on it to reward those interests and incentivize long-term attendance. Basically, I feel like it wasn’t worth the mental effort creating events when nobody stuck around. I decided that I would not hold any more events for now.

With this reality faced and accepted, I took an extended break to think over what the final game should look like, be like, feel like. If I want a comfortable experience for any online player, I’d need a comfortable experience for the base game itself before going online. For the game’s own best, it needs to stand on its own two legs independently that lets players understand the world, characters, purpose, and tasks until they’re ready to go online by themselves. Just shoving them context-less online isn’t a way to create a bond over these things together.

Thus, it sunk in to me that it is time to work on the story, the characters, and finally create what I’ve been wanting to create, but having been too intimidated to.

Kemoverse “Offline”

During Beta, which will last for most of 2025, I will focus entirely on creating the story experience. This means scripting all of the eight lessons, creating all of the important cutscenes, creating and adding all of the characters in-game, and letting the characters interact with each other through the timeline, and also having the plot drive forward until just before its conclusion.

The conclusion of the story is based on the adventure test, which is a repeatable survival challenge taking place in a three-stage map using a minimal set of survival tools. The test is tied with the story characters, who will act as team members following you on that adventure providing help. By succeeding that test using mechanical and gameplay skill, you will have finished the game.

After all the lessons but before the adventure test, there will be a period of befriending any of the student characters in the campus, for the purpose of gaining their help in the adventure test. I’d like each character’s personal storyline to be unique to their well-designed personality and tell a personal story as to how they have survived the world of Kemoverse up until then. More importantly though, is to tell their perspective of what is crucial or worthless in their world.

I’d hate it if Kemoverse forever stayed as an empty sandbox for online play. What would set this apart from just a chatroom? Nothing. I want to make it immersive, a believable world where the inhabitants live as they wish to live, in a way that you can not necessarily agree with, but in a way that you can understand. As I’ve said before, it is, and will always be lore first. You are not the hero, you are not a special exception to the rule, you are simply… a Kemona. Placed in a difficult situation but in a believable world, where you don’t have the upper hand. Where the world exists whether you ever existed or not.

Anyways, back on track. My minimum goal for a completed Beta and moving to Pre-release is when all of the lessons, characters, and important cutscenes are added and the adventure mode exists in physical form in-game. Optionally, if I have enough time, that the characters each have had their own unique personal storylines implemented, and if I have implemented the adventuring test and it is in a playable, completable state. Basically, Beta will be done when the story feels like it can be concluded with most of its loose ends reflected upon and the scope of the world presented.

Online? What now?

With the nickname “Kemoverse Offline”, I both mean the fact that I won’t hold any online events next year, but also that the game should be playable completely offline by yourself. I’d like to eventually sell the offline game experience for some money since I’ll have put a lot of care and love into it. However, the online server will still exist for players to socialize, just that there will be no officially led events or announcements. Effort will instead be shifted entirely on to offline content creation with new releases every 2-4 months bringing large additions to the story, similar to the one-hour addition of story in Beta 1.

Regarding Funder status, I’m currently in the process of re-writing the back-end of it to be only dependent on paypal, so I can eventually be fully independent. However, I wouldn’t exclude a release of the game on other gaming platforms. If you are a Funder or want to become one, you can still become one through the ko-fi link, and the game will apply it to your character of choice. It'll change places soon, though.

Personal situation

Financially, I’m doing ‘alright’, if you count as having no expendable income as doing alright. I’m surviving and have some thoughts about how to get my life in order beyond the computer. It’s a really peculiar situation. I went from an anxious shut-in mess to a college drop out and moving to another country to find my purpose and overcoming, well, everything. The past 1-1,5 years was an especially rough time, but I got through the worst, and I would rather have this life experience than continue years of stagnation and escapism.

Honestly, Kemoverse in a way was, is, and will always be an escape. The act of developing it, creating it and the act of playing it. I don’t play it properly, but it stays as a presence in my mind. It’s a source of comfort that I don’t find elsewhere, even if it’s a long-term gamble that I don’t know how it will end. It was also, admittedly, a source of social comfort since I’ve had social problems all of my life, and creating an ideal world to be social in was accomplished. So when my interest did drop off the online part of the game, it was anxiety provoking. But thankfully, I could reflect, calm down, and continue doing what I believe in rather than act on what I fear. 

In fact, I feel less of that persistent life-long fear and anxiety I’ve always had of people. I know I’m doing exactly what I want and what I believe in. I don’t care, and I don’t want to care to do the fitting thing because someone else said so. I enjoy, and selfishly thrive, to do what I want and think is objectively good. I ignore criticism and distance from others on purpose because I critique myself enough as it is. I think certain strategies and ideals are stupid, really stupid, and certain lifestyles are horrible and really showcases the pain of living in this kind of overpopulated world.

And it’s fine. That’s how I work. The main thing is that Kemoverse exists. It is already an accomplishment. And I have the ability to continue to reason, decide, compare, and ultimately take actions and finish what I set out to do.

In short...

• Kemoverse Online went from Alpha status to Beta status.
• Beta means focusing primarily on story content implementation.
• The Beta is finished when cutscenes, characters, and lessons are all added.
• The Beta is expected to last most of 2025 and will eventually become a paid game.
• The Online server will continue to exist but with no officially led events.
• New Beta releases will go slower and be released every 2-4 months.
• Funders can still fund me as I rewrite the funder back-end system.