Roadmap

Previously I had a 'rough roadmap' which gave some details about the general direction of the game. This time I want to refine the roadmap a little more now that things feel more clear in my head as to what I can and might be able to accomplish before the game releases. So, updating it from that previous roadmap, here is a less rough version of the previous roadmap.

Planned:

-At least 4 primary bosses
-Three more weapons
-Three more spells
-Three more distinct environments
-At least Five total 'alternate' environments (Environments which borrow other tilesets or which have recolored elements to them, but also have their own tiles/assets too. The beach would be an example of this.)
-More split paths
-A large variety of upgrades/unlocks for the player (I don't have a specific count)
-At least eight more dedicated puzzle shrine areas
-Additional 'power level' statues
-NPCs which can be expanded/tfed
-Developing the story further
-Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulties
-Enemies which can force Aria to inflate
-More normal static world NPCs to talk to

Want to add:

-Extra bosses and side bosses
-More weapons/spells
-Special hidden environments/areas
-Costume/skin system allowing the player to unlock costumes to swap to (such as bunnygirl Aria)
-Enemy AI variety based on difficulty (Such as the AI performing different moves or special moves on harder difficulties)
-Revamp the lighting system
-Improve weather system
-Twelve Smoldering Tea Leaves mega blimp airship
-Possibly get new voice actors for Aria/Milan (I already have all the major voice lines for them done, but if I wanted to add more then there are issues with doing so. I may leave this one up to a poll closer to the end of game development as replacing all the voice lines and adding more would take some time and money)
-MP/Power level stealing enemy/trap
-Improve old SFX like the blueberry deflation sound. (Possibly also some FX on the expansion)
-A new powerup which gives Aria a size and booty boost (I moved this down to 'want to add' due to the purpose of this form not feeling 'clear' in my head. There's still a good chance it will make it into the game, but due to the new power level system, I have to make up a lot of extra sprites to get it to work well in addition to figuring out what exactly the form will do)

Low chance of making the final cut:

-Inflation/expansion minigames
-Shrines specialized around unique tfs
-Hidden weapons/spells
-Nightmare difficulty
-Nightmare exclusive paths and environments (I don't want to spoil the concept here, but these would be areas that are rather high on the scary/spooky meter and only available in this special difficulty.)
-Achievements



That is the gist of the roadmap itself, though I may add some new features on the way to the end here and there if I think it will heavily improve the game. (I always listen to feedback and suggestions, but I can't promise I can add something to the game. I always like a feature to feel both satisfying and feel purposeful.) There are also a few features that I do not list here as I am not 100% on their implementation just yet.

But I want to also give these features broken down a little heavier into the patches I plan. I don't know exactly how long it will take each of these versions to develop, but I can at least inform you of the general version plan so you can feel out how far into development (and how far from the end) the game is.


v0.6.0.0 - This will be the next major version and the game will enter into this version when the next boss is added into the game. I'd consider this to be the real 'middle' of the actual content to be added to the game.

v0.7.0.0 - A balance focused version. It will emphasize developing the difficulty levels and balancing things. It will still have some new content in it with an area or two and a couple shrines, but the focus will just be on getting everything in the past straightened out and prepared for future patches. I may attempt to add the skin system here or in v0.9.0.0 if I feel I can fit it into the game. I doubt this patch will be quite as big, but will still be very important.

v0.8.0.0 - The next major version which will have the third boss in it. At this point, the game will be nearing the 75% complete amount for the content in the game. This will probably be the longest of versions to complete. When this version is done, I'll be prepping the game for release on as many platforms as I can. Itch.io is the one platform I fully guarantee a release, (Unless something happens that prevents me from doing so) but I would also like to release on Steam and maybe even some more prestigious platforms. I don't have plans to do early access or anything like that, but to my understanding, it pays to get ready early so this will be the point that I begin doing so.

v0.9.0.0 - Meant to be a major polishing version. This will be the last playable version offered up on Patreon for members who paid less than 10$.

 In this version I will be mostly polishing up systems and I'll likely attempt to revamp the lighting system in the game to look much better. In addition, this is the likely place I will look to implement the expandable NPCs into the game. (Though that may come earlier) I will also make changes to some core game systems at this point to improve performance and trim some things up. I'll develop the game credits during this period too. This will also be the point where if I do decide to get new VAs that I will be implementing them.

Edit: I will likely try and see about adding in requested features here or finishing them up too such as bestiary, item list, and map.

Finally, once it's all polished, I will spend a bit of time crafting an updated demo for the game after everything is polished.

v1.0.0.0 - The release of the game. The final boss and all remaining content will be added at this point. When it's done, I'll set an official release date and prep all the needed methods for getting downloads to those who have donated 10$ total over here. Then when the game releases, everyone should be able to get their hands on it. (If for some reason there are issues, I will manually hand out downloads if I have to. Ideally, everything goes well and I'm able to easily distribute the game. I'll have everyone who needs the game on a list by this point)

Post release - At this point I'll monitor the game and give it the attention it needs to fix bugs quickly. As time goes on, I'll see how everyone feels about the game and if there is a desire for more, I'll probably continue to develop the game further. (Possibly adding in features that didn't make the initial cut) Whether I do that as more of a DLC or just free content will depend on just how much I can afford to do so. It's either that or I begin to work on another game, though I will talk about it here before I make any major decisions.

I believe this is everything I can directly offer without asking for questions. (Of course you can ask and I will try my best to answer them!) The only final thing I have to say in regards to how long I think the game will take to finish... I really hate to promise any particular timetable because anything can happen to delay things. I will just say that if things continue to go well that I believe I can likely finish the game in about two more years. Unless there are events which hinder development, I believe that's a generous amount of time to finish everything I have planned and then some.