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Dev Diary #1

Published: December 13th 2022, 1:35:07 am

Hello everyone! I would like to start posting Dev Diaries every other Monday or something to get feedback on some of my plans. As the game is currently in early development it can be hard for my intentions to be clear so I would like to start posting my intentions and hear what you all have to say.

Plans for v0.17 and beyond

There are many concepts being workshopped in my head, both story and mechanical. I want to make Harem Hotel as enjoyable as possible, much more than it currently is. Right now this means increasing the available choices you have at any given moment. So what will this look like?

A Farmable Garden:

• As many of you probably know from my v0.16 dev post, I intended to add a farmable garden to hotel, behind the currently accessible Garden area. But this was delayed for many reasons.
• A farmable garden would be an active source of income and usable items, which would later unlock into a passive source in Jin's storyline once she takes over.
• Maintenance would be required through watering, bug spray, fertilizing, etc. First done by you, then by Jin automatically.
• Actively gaining income can be fun to an extent, but when grindy becomes a chore. This is why it will be active in the early game when that money matters more, but passive once the income is negligible.
• The garden could include food crops such as potatoes, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. This will save you money, as there are so many mouths to feed.
• The garden could include cash crops such as Tinu, Hops, or maybe even an ingredient for Naki.
• The garden could include stat crops such as lust beans to increase lust manually, or something that causes an experience multiplier to stat, such as gaining 2 anal points during a single action instead of 1.

Interactive Mobile Phone:

• Can provide extra context before and after story events
• Characters can send you nudes after unlocking certain stats

Making Sex Completely Optional:

• Could unlock a SFW path (not that you would want to)
• Allows for a possible SFW version of the game to be released in more markets (for free)
• Gives you more choices to play how you want, and skip content you don't want to see.

Expanding the "How are you?" Dialogue:

• The "How are you?" dialogue changes as you advance each character's story, but not enough.
• Can add context to how a character feels after each event or major action.
• It shouldn't be more than a handful of lines for each new response, keeping it to the point.
• Should make the characters feel more alive.

Adding Themed Music:

• The music options are currently very limited, this is because sound files can bloat the filesize.
• But an optional "DLC" could be downloaded if that becomes an issue.
• Many story events and locations could benefit from themed music, which would increase immersion.
• Does anyone here know how to compose music?

Remakes, Remakes, Remakes:

• Many scenes are still in need of improvements, some visually, some through better writing. Android's early content specifically has begun to stick out now that most of the other content has been remade.
• My goal is never to remove, but improve. 
• Some repeatable sex options, exhibitionism options, and most of the dungeon content could probably be remade. I will need help finding inconsistencies.

Side Character Content:

• Side characters like Kate, Vanessa, Ellen, etc are planned to get repeatable content in the hotel. As well as their friends.
• The Hot Springs is a place for outsiders to enjoy your hotel, soon you'll be able to enjoy them ;)
• Dungeon content is on the table.

More Explore Content:

• The "Explore" feature is only 25% - 33% done
• More locations will be added when they are ready, current ones will be expanded.
• As well as a new "District" with three locations to visit. This district would be in a nearby forest with a cave.
• This would allow more perspective to be shown, including with Drows and more rural people.
• Eventually all Explore content will be replaced with Tier 2 Explore content, which will allow you to revisit the same places after they have changed.

Holidays:

• Holidays provide great opportunities to show off a culture and what they value most.
• A calendar system may be added, in which case birthdays may also be mechanically present.
• Some Holidays already exist, but they don't always have much significance. That can change.
• Some Holidays will be story based, and some will be mechanical (Such Lin's Midlari)
• Unification Day - In some ways like an 'Independence Day', but in other ways the complete opposite. This is a day when people dress up like it's the medieval era (When Syl'anar was founded) and recreate the culture "Cowboys vs Indians" style.
• Elvish Cultural Holidays - Each culture has their own holidays, such as the Common Elf's Midlari, or the High Elves worship of the moons. These can be expanded upon as well.

A new Main Character:

• Yep, that's still coming.

Gallery updates:

• Yeah, I'll get to it. Eventually all events will be available.

And that's all for now! Please let me know what you think. Suggestions are always helpful as well :)

All of this is only possible due to your support, I would not be able to do this otherwise. So thank you!

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