Episode 1: The Final Demo — Announcement + Sneak Peek (Patreon)

Hi everyone!

It's been an incredibly busy month, and I'm really excited to say that the new build is finally getting close to completion!

This is by far the biggest release I've worked on so far. After five months of intensive production, I'm bringing Parts 3 and 4 together, along with expanded scenes, additional content, and a ton of improvements, into one massive build: Episode 1 — The Final Demo.

The amount of work that went into this release is honestly comparable to what you'd expect from a full indie studio, and I can't wait to finally show you everything I've been working on!

The entire production has been focused on three major areas: story, gameplay, and the Instaface app.

The Story

Several people, including myself, have been involved in developing the story, and we've gone through quite a few rewrites to get it exactly where I wanted it.

I wanted the story to have multiple layers, meaningful character development, and, most importantly, the emotional impact I've been aiming for. Getting all of that right took considerably more time than originally planned.

But there was a good reason for it.

Everything that comes next, including future episodes, will build upon the events, characters, and ideas introduced in Episode 1. A single major storytelling mistake at this stage could have meant months of additional work and expensive changes later on.

That's why I wanted to make absolutely sure we got the foundation right.

And I'm happy to say the final script has been approved and moved into production!

Gameplay & Instaface

The gameplay side has received plenty of attention as well.

The vehicle system has been reworked to eliminate that occasional, rather unexpected bug where cars would suddenly decide to take flight. (Hmm... Unreal Engine's Chaos Vehicle system works quite differently from PhysX, which I've been much more familiar with, so getting everything to behave properly took some extra work).

I've also added a brand-new Cloth app, which allows you to choose clothing and put together different outfits.

Meanwhile, Instaface has been polished, tested, and fully integrated into the game. This includes saving your photos directly into your save game, as well as new events triggered by completing fan requests.

All dialogue for the new characters, more than six of them, has been fully voiced, with each voice carefully selected to match the character's personality.

Working together with a director, we've also staged all the key scenes and improved several earlier ones.

The dialogue system itself has received another round of improvements, mostly under the hood. You probably won't notice the code changes, but you should definitely feel the difference: shorter pauses between character lines make conversations flow much more naturally and dynamically.

Meet Mia's Classmates!

Every new character featured in the announcement artwork has now been added to the game, and you'll get to meet all of them in this release.

Each of Mia's classmates has been carefully developed, from their appearance and personal style to their individual personality.

There's quite a bit to tell about them, so I'll be introducing these characters in more detail in a separate post!

Welcome to College!

A significant part of the new story takes place at Mia's college, where you'll meet her classmates and discover another side of her life.

And since the college will continue to play a role in future episodes, I decided it deserved some proper attention during production.

We developed everything from the ground up: the interiors, overall architectural and visual style, the college's identity and creative arts specializations, its philosophy, student uniforms, and countless little details.

Even the posters and signs on the walls have been designed with care, and you'll be able to stop, look around, and actually read them.

I really want these places to feel like they exist beyond the immediate story, with their own identity, atmosphere, and little details that make Mia's world more believable.

And don't worry, we're not going full Hogwarts here. You won't have to sit through classes or worry about passing exams!

Although you'll definitely be spending some time at the college as the story continues.

One Last Thing...

I could honestly spend hours talking about Mia's universe and everything that goes into creating it, but I think I'd better stop here before I accidentally spoil something important.

There's so much more happening behind the scenes than I can fit into a single post, and I'm really looking forward to sharing more of it with you.

Thank you all for your patience, encouragement, and continued support throughout these past few months. This has been one of the most demanding production periods I've ever had, but also one of the most rewarding.

I'm incredibly excited about how everything is coming together, and I really hope you'll enjoy discovering everything we've prepared for you.

We're getting closer to the finish line, and I can't wait for you to experience Episode 1: The Final Demo!

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks and updates!Warm regards,Sam Walsh, Lead Game Designer