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Category: Big Announcement

An Honest & Obvious Update on Release Dates

An Honest & Obvious Update on Release Dates

Hello Villagers!

Today I want to give everyone an update on the schedule of the upcoming Village Monsters version 1.0 update.

I’m moving the release window from Spring 2021 to Summer 2021. Given that I’m posting this on the literal summer solstice… well, it’s probably not a surprise.

The game is in very good shape, and this decision wasn’t easy to make. However, this small delay is ultimately best for Village Monsters and for myself, even if it’s somewhat embarrassing to have to announce.

Keep reading if you want to know more about the reasons behind this move.

So, what’s taking so long?

Since April I’ve had real life friends and family playing the final game. It’s been a ton of fun and extremely valuable, but their feedback has caused my “Required Before v1.0” to-do list to grow by leaps and bounds.

By May, I realized that the math wasn’t working in my favor. I put off announcing a delay in case I could crunch my way to victory, but it hasn’t been sustainable, and it’s not healthy for me or for the quality of the game.

Villager Monsters is my first game, and it’s incredibly special to me. I’ve been working on it full time for 4 years, but even years before that I was dreaming and doodling about the game.

I know it’s a fool’s errand to chase perfection, but I still want it to be the best game it can possibly be. It has to be something I’m proud of, even if it means it takes longer to come out.

What’s next?

My main goal is to finish work on v1.0. Everything else takes a backseat until then.

However, relaxing the release schedule also means I can stop crunching as hard, which will give me more time for social media, Discord, and dev diaries.

It’s a somewhat tragic irony that the closer I get to the release the less time and energy I have to talk about it, so being able to to catch my breath is actually very important and valuable.

I have a group of playtesters that I’m going to have play v1.0 in the upcoming weeks and months. This group will expand as the game gets closer to release, so if it’s something you’re interested in then keep an eye out.

Until then, stay cool, villagers!

Playtesters needed!

Playtesters needed!

Hiya villagers!

Village Monsters v1.0 is right on track. In fact, even as we speak the hype train is barreling down said track at over 400 miles per hour. Don’t worry, I have been repeatedly assured by the conductor that this is all perfectly safe.

I’m now ready to recruit volunteers to help playtest the near-final version of the game! I’ve really benefited from the whole Early Access process, but playtesting is a different beast and requires a much smaller, more dedicated type of group.

I’m looking for ~10-12 testers to play and share their thoughts on the game. Priority will be given to Kickstarter backers and Early Access owners of the game, though I do have a couple of slots reserved for new players.

Your only requirement is to play the game normally and provide feedback + answer questions in a short survey. In return, I can offer some modest benefits: your name will be included in the credits under “Playtester” and you’ll get a Steam key of the game.

The testing period will be this May and will be conducted through Steam’s new playtesting feature.

If you are interested in becoming a playtester, then please fill out this form by May 3rd!

The Steam Winter Sale + The Next Big Thing

The Steam Winter Sale + The Next Big Thing

Hello Villagers!

We’re little over halfway through the Steam Winter Sale! You can still grab Village Monsters for 20% OFF between now and January 5th.

If it seems like there has been an endless stream of sales lately… well, that’s because there have been.

This is the 3rd major sale Village Monsters has been a part of since October. However, this is probably the last major Steam sale prior to Village Monsters hitting version 1.0 in Spring 2021, so I hope you take this opportunity to grab your copy.

The Journey to v1.0: The Pitstop to v0.90

Back in September I announced a major update that I was calling “The Living Lands”. I split off a small chunk of it for October’s big update, but I’ve been hard at work on the original scope of features ever since.

The update is big. So big, in fact, that I’m now comfortable labeling it version 0.90 – in other words, one of the last big releases before we hit the fabled v1.0.

So what’s coming? Well, here’s a partial list of things to get hyped for:

  • The promise of a “living, breathing world” finally realized
  • Exciting changes to the world triggered by the seasons, weather, and game progress
  • Village events and holidays, including tons of new visitors and event NPCs
  • More Village Restoration Projects and rewards for increasing your village level
  • Fleshed out lore and backstories, including many new Heart-to-Heart events
  • Villagers follow robust schedules which can include shopping, banter, and hobbies
  • New critters, fish, birds, butterflies, weather, treasures, wines, scrolls, cupcakes, and much more
  • Tons of new music, sound effects, and ambient noises
  • A boatload of bug fixes

The one downside of a big update is that it takes me a big amount of time of finish. But things are looking really good so far, and the plan is to release it in January. More on that (and a more proper dev diary) as we get closer.

That’s all for now! It’s been a good year for Village Monsters (and not much else), but I’m really looking forward to what’s coming in 2021. Hope everyone had a great holiday time, and I wish you all a happy new year!

Village Monsters is OUT NOW on all platforms and storefronts!

Village Monsters is OUT NOW on all platforms and storefronts!

Hello Villagers!

You’d have to be pretty incompetent to forget to update your own website about your game launch…

*ahem* Well! Better late than never.

Village Monsters officially released on November 12th, but depending on your platform or storefront it may have taken a bit longer than that. I ended up staggering each release to make it easier for me to support and manage. You know the phrase “not my first rodeo”? Well, this is my first rodeo, and I didn’t want to get bucked off the bull.

I’m happy to report that Village Monsters is out for everything now. Windows, Mac, and Linux? Yep, all supported. Steam, Itch.io, and GameJolt? Them too!

Early Access means that launch day is the just start of a new and even more exciting journey. As I’ve mentioned previously I’m planning to remain in Early Access for about a year – and I plan for it to be a very busy and productive year at that. In the 2 weeks since launch I’ve already released five patches with a big update on the way on Wednesday, November 27th.

I’m really happy with where things are at right now. Hopefully going forward I’ll be a bit better at keeping this site updated…

Thank you to everyone – Kickstarter supporters, Twitter followers, friends, family, all of you – for your love and support. Village Monsters would be nothing without you, and I’ll never forget that.