Keisi
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Dev Diary #124: Happy anniversary!
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 13:27:38 +0000 UTCHappy Easter! I don't think we've ever celebrated Easter in all the years I've been here, and even when I think about adding events, it never crosses my mind to add anything related to this holiday. The reason? In Spain, it's celebrated in a totally different way than in other countries, and it's entirely focused on everything related to religion, so we don't eat many chocolate eggs (although we do eat some). It's funny because it's easy for me since I already have the outfits, although, of course, they're typical "bar bunny outfits", not something more... friendly, so to speak.
In any case... happy Easter, but above all, happy anniversary!
I'm not going to lie, I don't have anything special planned this year. I've been checking, and apart from the anniversary post (which I can't find), I post the short game every year. The difference this year is that there is no EA for the short game. In fact, I'm going to work on the short game this week, and as soon as I finish it, I'll post it for everyone to enjoy. This is mainly due to the absence of ‘real’ public content, as there are no new versions or new content outside of Patreon. In fact, throughout this year, you will see definitive changes in that regard, but we'll talk about that later.
Before we get into the content of the post, which is also going to be a little different this year (I think), here's the release schedule for v2.D:
18/04: BETA
25/04: 3 weeks EA
02/05: 2 weeks EA
09/05: 1 week EA
16/05: Free Members release
I can't find the anniversary posts, so I can't remember exactly what I wrote in those posts (mostly to keep up the habit). I know I thanked everyone, explained a little bit about what I was working on, and... I don't remember what else. So, oh well, let's start over.
This year (2024) has been a horrible year for me: general health problems, physical problems, mental problems... I've gone through a bout of depression and really fucked up things especially very very unpleasant thoughts, if you know what I mean... That, along with a stupid bacteria in my stomach, plus an incompetent doctor who took more than three months to diagnose what I had, plus a physiotherapist who just wanted to take my money and recommend useless supplements instead of finding out the root cause of my problem (a cervical thing)... Anyway, enough negativity. The important thing is that all of that is finally in the past. Although it is estimated that it will take me at least six months (and up to two years) to recover from my stomach problems fully... and my neck problems will not go away unless I change my profession.
So, the first message I want to convey is: take care of yourselves. Take care of your mind, and most importantly, your body. I thought I was invincible when I was young, but now I'm just an imbecile... As someone with an ‘office job’ where I spend many hours sitting on my chair, exercising (going to the gym) has been a turning point in my life. Of course, becoming a gymbro/rat doesn't work miracles, especially if you take it to extremes, but you really do notice the change, physically and mentally. And don't worry, I won't sell you personalised advice that will make you look like Cbum in six months... I'm here to entertain you in your daily lives, and be part of your horny live in some way, but... I want to get this message across. I'm telling you, especially people who work in offices and similar jobs, we're doomed to have stupid problems that are a pain in the ass... I started wearing glasses three years ago, and I'm supposed to have had 20/20 vision my whole life... So Green, if you're reading this, go to the fcking gym.mp4.
In any case, I'm not going to dwell on that, although I could write a whole post just talking about these issues. So... thank you. Thank you for everything. I am always grateful to all of you who are here year after year, but this year I am also thankful to those who were here at some point. I doubt I could have been away for almost a year if it hadn't been for all of you. This may not make sense, but it makes all the sense on an economic level. In any case, once again, thank you.
I know my return was not everyone expected, and my earnings reflect that. I am now earning literally half of what I was earning before, and although you know I don't like to talk about money, it's something I have to mention as it's where the real impact of all my decisions lies. Even so, despite this setback, I can continue to dedicate myself to this professionally, otherwise I would have closed the business months ago. Remember that my hobby is playing games, not developing them. That doesn't mean I consider what I do just another job. In fact, finding myself in the situations I've had to deal with over the past year has made me see life in a totally different way, including how I see what I do here.
I'd be the first to work 14+ hours every day without a day off to do crazy things like what I did in 2023: release a new version + beta of the next version + anniversary in less than 2 months. It sounds cool, yeah, just as cool as the rest of the year complaining about stress and burnout... And now? What do we have? Complaints, no doubt, I'm a natural complainer, but right now I'm just as excited as I was when LA was born. I just wish I were as young as I was 5 years ago.
But overall, I'm happy with my decision about making a ‘definitive version’. Yes, I know, it's had a negative and expected impact, and while it's something I can't ignore, it's not something that will change my mind. For me, this change was necessary, not on a technical level, not on a writing level, but on a personal level, on a mental level. Physically, there isn't enough space-time for a solo dev to do the crazy thing I was trying to do until now, which was fixing old things while adding new things and all that, while trying not to break the main structure of the project so as not to force everyone to start over again and again. So in the end, I stopped thinking ‘if I could do this...’, ‘if I could fix that...’, ‘if I could start from scratch...’, and made the decision.
Luckily, the OGs (and everyone in general) have understood my intentions with all this, and it's not about dragging things out or milking; it's about doing what I should have done a few years ago and what I've been complaining about for a long time now. I always said, ‘If it were up to me, I would rewrite the story in both languages, respecting the main plot, but I don't do it because it's crazy’... guess what, that's what I'm doing. And I don't regret it (sometimes a little, but only because it's a pain in the ass).
And we haven't really made any progress in the main story yet. Right now, I'm focused on laying the groundwork for the new approach. I'm adding things I would have liked to add (and some new ones), I'm correcting everything in both languages, and soon there will be a thorough revision by Robin (proofreader) in English. But as I said, I'm focused on making the game the way I wanted it to be years ago, but didn't have the experience or knowledge to do so.
I know that the usual thing is to finish the project and then do the next one 'perfect' from the start, but something inside me won't let me do that. I think that with enough time, it could be a pretty complete project. Besides, you have to remember that LA:NH is the beginning of the LA universe, so I'm not going to start this universe being ‘not bad, but could be better’.
Some changes were to be made according to what I wanted:
I've always wanted the introduction to give you more freedom of movement and interaction with Patri/Dany.
I've always wanted to make a better introduction/explanation of all the game's features. Over the years, I've made small changes here and there, but I didn't do anything like I've done now because, as always, it would require rewriting part of the code, quests, etc.
I've always wanted Mara to have her fangs visible, and although it can be redone over time, it's been half-done for at least two years.
I always had something in mind that Titan said years ago: ‘Man, there aren't as many interactions as at the beginning of the game. That gave it an extra touch.’ It's a phrasing that sums up something we talked about years ago about choices, the talks, dialogues according to your profession... It's something that has now been reintroduced and will remain so throughout the project.
Suna? In this new version, you finally get the chance to get to know the Captain a little better before you even learn her name much later on.
There are new things to come related to the main plot... and more.
In the latter (plot), I had two options: leave it as it is in terms of simplicity and let you draw your conclusions, or try to reveal who the antagonists are gradually, their purposes, their backstories, etc., throughout the story. All of this was planned to be done simultaneously during a few missions in a row, which I always thought was a bad idea. So now that I have the opportunity to change the course of the story, it will work a little differently. I won't say much more about this because it would spoil the content of v3.
So, we'll see how this new course of the story unfolds. Obviously, there will be things that will remain the same as before. I'm just as eager as you are to get to where we were in v22, but there's a long road of internal struggles with my inner demons ahead of us to make the best possible decisions and not make the same mistakes. But this time, I won't do all this alone; you're part of all this. And although they may seem like silly things, the changes we have made as a joint decision were already visible in the first version. And we still have to discuss the results of the first feedback poll.
Btw, these mistakes have names, in case anyone has forgotten what this is all about: Alina and Myra. In the end, not only are they cursed, but they were also a curse on the project, huh...
Speaking of which, when we get to that point in the story in a few versions... I will only work on them for an entire or several versions. We'll see how it all goes, but the reason we're moving at a very slow pace in terms of content right now is because when we get to the first major milestone, which is Alina & Myra, I want to be able to work solely on that and not be thinking about adding some silly thing I forgot to add two versions ago, etc...
So yes, you'll have to get used to a slow pace of content for a while.
That said, I'd like to summarise what we have so far and what's coming up until the next anniversary. ATTENTION! This is an estimation of what I would like to have finished throughout this year, but it does not mean that everything will be exactly as I describe below. I don't want to sound tiresome, but remember that my high expectations and promises have always led me to unnecessary limits. Let's take it slowly but surely.
So far we have (v2.D):
A better structured introduction with more freedom of movement, including more interactions with Dany and Patricia.
The reintroduction of old features: Dirty/Love talk.
Thanks to this, all the main girls now have new interactions with a new structure. This means that as the target stat level (love/sexiness) increases, a new interaction complementary to the previous one is unlocked. This includes new dialogues and interactions. I always try to think of something new, although when it comes to love, I focus more on dialogue, and when it comes to sexiness, I focus on unlocking something more visual.
Because of these new interactions, if applicable, I include new interactions in places where there were no interactions before. Example: There is a new interaction in Yuna's room at night.
Some of the most notable changes: Yuna and Anna's underwear, Glenda's physical change (freckles).
This last point has given me twice as much work, as I've had to redo everything related to Glenda, but apart from the fact that I'm doing it step by step, it's been an opportunity to improve scenes, renders, loops, etc.
Now, most features have their own introductions. For example, the girls' biographies and counters. Yuna is in charge of that.
Most quests now have a better plot structure, and that includes silly details like introducing everything related to ranks correctly. The correct way is to have a new main quest for that. This gives much better context to Duty, and during this quest, we'll spend time with the Captain getting to know her a little better before unlocking her as a secondary girl.
I was going to end here, but I remembered that when you spend time with Anna on the sofa, there's a new interaction (posing). This doesn't go in this point, but I wanted to mention it.
Oh, yes, I also forgot to mention that we now have a Marketplace managed by Mabel at our disposal for buying and selling. This will also make Mabel available in the evening, and we'll be able to see what the Entrance and Outside of the house look like (two new areas).
I'm sure I'm leaving out something important, but that's the gist of it. I'm not mentioning bug fixes, QoL, or interface changes because the list would be endless. You can find the change log for both versions here.
What's next?
The next thing coming is v3.D, which I'm going to add everything I should have added in v2 but couldn't due to lack of time, as it would have taken at least another week and a half of work... but the anniversary is here and I want to work on it, so we're postponing it for the next version. From here on, there are no important dates (I think), so after the anniversary, I will dedicate an entire month to working on the next version.
But what will we see in v3? It will be a version before awakening the lust power, so the girls' cap will not be 5 (trust). We won't unlock Sara either. I will focus on working on the achievement point system and rewards, adding a new feature called ‘panty collection’ that Mara will manage, redoing Mabel's levels 2-3, and working on level 4 for all the girls (main and secondary). If I have time left over, I might work on level 5 for one of the secondary girls (Mabel), since level 5 for the secondary girls from now on won't just be unlocking something RPG-related.
After that, we will have the expected content in v4: level 5 cap, the new feature that will give better context and allow us to see more about Vanessa, awaken the power, etc.
As for the longer term?
I would love to say we will catch up with v22, but that would be unrealistic since I don't know what the future holds. I know that everything related to Alina and Myra will give me a lot of headaches, and I'm not even mentioning Natsuki because it's recent content. Still, it's going to be the same, headaches. With Natsuki, I actually have some interesting things in mind, taking advantage of the fact that she comes from an Eastern Kingdom. I don't think Enya needs any significant changes; the same goes for Tali.
We will see significant changes in the course of the main story, as Alina and Myra will not move in with us as soon as we meet them.
We'll learn more about Vanessa's story much earlier than I had planned (in v25 or so), and there will be better context for Vanessa's abrupt disappearance, which, although it makes sense, I've always thought should have a better approach.
Although it's still to be decided, I'll tone down Dany's scene a bit from what it is now. I intend to catch you off guard, but perhaps the nightmare and the scene in general should happen differently or try to give an option for those who don't want to see everything so ‘explicit’, so you can skip some parts. Anyway, you know that LA isn't about horror or anything. I just wanted to catch everyone off guard, and although the result was satisfactory, I've always thought there was room for improvement.
The levels of the main girls shouldn't undergo any significant changes apart from adding new interactions in all levels where appropriate. Well, actually... I'm lying. The trust levels that are now fetishes will be moved to another place (sexiness tasks), and there will be new trust levels in their place.
Something similar will happen with the secondary girls, but not quite. There is a little more variety here since they are secondary girls, but there will be levels that are not for doing anything ‘fun’ but rather for getting to know them a little better. The closest example will be their level 5.
The main quests will only undergo changes if necessary, as I have already explained with Dany, Vanessa or the tavern quests.
The most significant change related to the main quests is that I will no longer use the girls' trust levels as main quests. There will be quests where I will have to do that, as it may be something relevant, such as the quest to awaken your power, but as a general rule, I will try to avoid that unless it is for something relevant.
This means that if, for example, until now, you were forced to do ABC tasks with the girls so as not to see a sudden change in their personalities during the quests, this will no longer happen. Let me explain: the behaviour change must occur as it is part of the character development, but this will be approached differently in order not to force you to spend time with a girl you don't like. Example: It will no longer be a requirement to have Anna at level 7 to see her personality change, but it will be added as an optional objective and highlighted as important but not necessary.
I know that the game revolves around spending time with all the girls and that it's all part of the whole package since the girls, even though they have their own lives, interact with each other and have stories together. That's why there are trust tasks as main quests, not just as a lazy excuse to do a new main quest + task (2x1).
The ultimate goal is to give the player more freedom and feel less forced to spend time with girls you may not like or who are not your favourites. But, obviously, even if you don't like Myra, if something relevant happens to her in the main quest, you're going to interact with her during the main story, that's logical, isn't it? I think so.
All this and more...
I want to think carefully about everything related to the Moonstars, the Beach, the Mine... but that's content for the future. First we have to catch up, and I think everything mentioned above will be enough work for the whole year.
I don't think we'll be caught up by next April because, as you can see, the story is now taking different directions, and although there will be filler quests, there will be new content in general, and there will be enough new content to consider the current version (v0.22.0) obsolete.
I already consider it so, but that's because I'm getting ahead of myself. On my Patreon homepage, it's already separated into ‘current work’ and ‘obsolete’. This doesn't mean the plot will change drastically, as the core remains unchanged. So yes, Lisapi will move with us, we'll discover her true power, we'll see Aynia in her human form... and much more (the next thing after that is meeting Vanessa's sister).
After all that, we'll have the Beach (new Moonstars, I'm not sure if nudism will happen in the end or not), the Mine (new Moonstars, new resources), the blacksmith's (new crafting recipes), Patricia moves in with us, etc., etc., until the end of the project.
I'll give you a sneak peek: the elemental Moonstar who escaped (water) will be inspired by an adult version of Gawr Gura. No need to thank me.png
And no, I'm not going to tell you exactly what will happen to Vanessa or Dany.
What I'm going to tell you is that I'm off for today! Once again, thank you all for being here for another year, and to those who have yet to join us in the LA universe!
If, by chance, anyone is wondering how long it will take to finish the project, first of all, be patient; thank you. Second, I think it will take about two or three years, depending on how everything progresses. I'm the first one who was dying to finish the project, but the truth is that now I'd like to continue working little by little with this new philosophy. I've always thought that dragging projects out indefinitely is synonymous with milking money, but I want to believe that there are other reasons for extending the development of a project.
So, as always, thank you to those of you who are here month after month, making this my profession and especially making the universe of LA possible. I know this last year has been challenging, and there have been some sudden and big changes, but now we are finally on the right track.
I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I do, and I will do everything I can to make you fall in love with your favourite girl all over again as time goes by.
For my part, I will give a second chance to girls who perhaps should have received more attention and care.
I'll say bye for today, but not before saying something very important:
A public version will soon be available, rendering the current version of the project obsolete. This means that v22 will no longer be available outside Patreon, and only v0.X.0.D will be available. This version will likely be the one where we meet Alina and Myra, or when we get them to move in with us. It's still to be decided, but keep it in mind: Soon™.
Without further ado, I'll say bye for today. See you again this week with the anniversary game and the 3-week EA of V0.2.0D!
See you soon!
