So it's been a week since the launch of Flowerglade v0.2.0. Happy with how it went the response has been positive.

With the upload of the first bug fix build (v0.2.01) I thought I'd share some of my thoughts around the changes since the last major update, why these changes are here, what they do for the game and what it means going forward.

Of course there's juicy good stuff like the new CGs, the new chapter, the introduction of a Flick, and the "Ghost" in the swamp - but from the perspective of a developer the things that excite me are the new gameplay features. I wanted to dive into that a little more.

Behind the graphics is a essentially a database, holding all the information about the Flowergirls - such as how much they like the player, how much they like each other, their tag preferences, where they are in the world and so on. The goal mechanically speaking is for the player to be able to influence and change these stats, such that they can control the outcome of their requests - and as a developer I'm trying to increase the ways in which this is possible, and add depth by having systems that overlap. Easier said than done! So far this can be done through the misc-requests, criticals on sexual requests, gifting things to the Blossoms, reading books, completing quests, pretty much every interaction you can have (even not doing anything) will affect these stats.

One of the trickiest things is letting the player know that these changes have  happened, and I'm considering adding some kind of universal visual language to let the player know that something has changed. Right now there's a notification system which does the job, we also have the little like emojis that pop up, but it could definitely be improved upon and consolidated into one neat idea. This will be a big part  of the next update in regards to mechanical changes - i.e. improving the readability of these mechanics, along with streamlining and balancing the new systems. 

However these aren't what I would consider an entire major update's worth of gameplay change. In additional to this I'm looking to deepen existing mechanics, even some of the most basic aspects of the game. Without going into too much detail, some of the most fundamental mechanics will get an upgrade.

Flowerglade currently a solid foundation of a game but it's time to start expanding narratively and getting to know the world, getting stuck into the main plot and developing these characters. Kyoki (writer) and I have been chatting a lot to design the world and the plot, and I'm hoping that it can start to really shine in the next update!

Thanks again to everyonewho has joined the Patreon or downloaded the free version! We're growing steadily, and I'm hoping that by the time Flowerglade version 1 is finished we'll have a strong community, all of whom helped shape it. 

Speaking of which, the next big community poll will be coming in a few weeks. As with the last one you can vote on 1 of 3 options for what gets added as a side quest. The new spying mechanic and scenes were the result of the last one.

Stay tuned, thanks for reading and being a part of this project.

🌿Enjoy!