[0.32.0] Vivid NPCs

'-' Okay, guys. I couldn't do it like it was anymore.

That's why...

🔥 The old code had to be DESTROYED 🔥

I started rewriting some mechanics that are in the game since veeeeery very long, and that kinda work "acceptable", but makes it very laborious to add more content. Yeah, so... No much new full scenes added. Most of the work was technical, I'd say. Basically, this update is a mix between restructuring the game and implementing new content so it don't become boring, right? xD

\o/ Let's talk about it now!

Reorganized Schedule

We may have a more dynamic structure, where a NPC will kind of have their "chores" schedule, I'd say, and if there's nothing to do, they may look for something they like to do as hobby or pastime activity. School have its own schedule of classes and club periods.

It may leave it more practical for the game to detect different actions characters may be doing. So moments may be more surprising and personal! That it's one of the main ideas of the game :D

Class Periods

It's class time! Stop bothering your step-sis or neighbor in their classes and join your classmates to yours! Or maybe do the opposite, cos that's what the game is for! xD

They're all here!

😰

😔 Ah, sorry guys, the bug where you turn back in time when you go to school with your stepsis is fixed. 🙏 F. Cool bug-san, we'll miss you.

Routine & Pastime

If you're in the right place at the right time, you may see characters in different moments.

Girls are most of the time doing something. If not, it's probably because I set them to stay somewhere in special event moments, since they're required for the game to proceed xD

From this update, I intend to change the bathroom and bedroom so they're open by default, and would just get locked when you, 😇🙏 accidentally, get in and realize it was already occupied. 😔 Poor you, it was not your fault. It was unlocked, right?

For now, just WMOM, WSIS, WNEI, and WCOU have a full routine implemented. Other characters go to school, do school activities, go home, and sleep with the school uniform! They're too lazy to remove it, so they wake up ready for class! 🤣

The idea is that all activities may lead to a scene, or at least, a cool moment! :D

To watch TV or dance with WNEI, just invite her. You don't need to be in the living room. She'll just go there with you if you're not. If she leaves the map, she may invite you to go together.

About that...

Dance Minigame

For you who missed it, I think this time I managed to fix it.

Did some fixes and put 2 new musics that would sound like "kawaii pop".

The main fix is that the arrows no longer drop based in the FPS, but in real seconds. This way, a super powerful computer from Elon Musk and the phone you bought to your grandma only for her to use Telegram or WhatsApp would get very similar time between apparition of the arrows. I tested in 4 different devices and it seems to work in a similar difficult in all. I also got similar results in them xD

School Visuals

Updated school map to 3 floors and reorganized the spaces. Its architecture now makes more sense xD

I also changed UI map buttons to a different code method, using the own map image as button, and adding text to differentiate them. 😎 It's more practical to add new maps and uses less lines on the code. You can disable tex in the map buttons in the settings if you prefer.

Upgraded Map

Look at our city! WELCUM!!! \o/

Outro

That's it and a few bug fixes. There's still a few weird things happening from what I saw in my tests, but don't seem to give problems of progress. The worst one is that characters are not sleeping at night, so, to prevent problems due to NPCs unstability if they pass 00:00 awake, I just make YOU sleep instead 🤣 While that, NPCs reset schedules and get back to normal again.

'-' And I edited Ren'Py error screen again to add a "Load" option so you can, instead of just rollbacking or ignoring the error that would crash your game, you can just try to load another checkpoint. 👀🤫 Don't tell Ren'Py dev I edited this file.

Changelog

0.32.0 - Major Update

• Permanent Data: changed Permanent Names to Global Data. If you enable it, your choices like step-family calls and your starting stats are already filled, so you no longer need to fill it again when starting a new game and want to use same info.
• NPC:
  • Schedule: characters are now a little less robotic. They have better defined routines, hobbies, and needs, that might change based on game conditions.
  • Join: Not in the required map for an activity? No problem. Just invite NPC to go there together.
• Map:
  • City: reworked city map. It now shows all the city, with roads and colorful buildings. It also gets lighting of time like the other backgrounds. At night you can see the city lights iluminating it. For navigation between maps in city, we may be using the same navigation interface of "indoor maps" for a while (or definitely if we see it leaves it better ^^).
  • School: reworked school building. It's now updated to a reorganized architecture, new visuals, 3 floors. (For now, everything is only visual).
  • Navigation: reworked map navigation with new effects and visual names so you better know where to go. Don't like text appearing? No problem! You can disable/enable it on Settings whenever you want.
• Dance: Dance minigame is back, and now with sung songs. You can play it by hanging out with WNEI in your home on weekends. Tested in different devices of different hardware powers. Now it seems to be smoother, and no longer finishes before music ends.
• Step-sis Hug: WSIS will no longer get angry if you try to hug her.
• Bug fix: game no longer gets stuck in grocery story scene on first game day.
• Bug fix: no more visual glitches during main scenes on second day on school when skipping or rollbacking.
• Bug fix: no more error during WCOU's first scene.

Technical Devlog For Nerds

• NPC Schedule: character routines are stored in a dictionary function so that it can be easily checked and changed if needed. Being used with multi-conditional systems that automatically detects what NPCs are doing, wearing, and where they are.
• Map Navigation: map navigation menu now shows the visual of the current map instead of a separated button for it. What means that whenever the map image change, the button will also change. Less work to add or replace maps, more time to work on other content.
• Dance: rythym minigame now updates its info in real seconds instead of in FPS, so arrows movements might work in similar ways in any device. Weaker devices may get lower FPS rate of stronger devices, but the right position state of the arrows may consider it in the right time calculation so you don't have disadvantage.
• Lighting Effect: added a script to dynamically change a common lighting effect used in many scenes. It'll automatically set morning, evening, and night light based on the time. I'll just need to set this saved light effect from now on instead of painting one at each scene I draw.

0.32.1 - Minor Update

• Character Mood: fixed the missing expressions on character sprites out of day 2.
• School Moments: adjusted school schedules and quests of classmates to the updated time. No more long skips or time rollbacks. Classmates now have some generic pastime activities that may lead them to random places so you can find them and interact. NPCs may be in the class based on current class schedule, so if current class is P.E or swimming, they'll head to those class maps instead of classroom. For now I'm leaving all class periods available for you at any time, just do what class you want whenever you want.
• Activity Time: instead of passing necessarily 1h watching TV or cooking with WMOM, now you pass the amount of time the girl you're with does.
• Character Scenes: adjusted WSIS and WNEI content to work with their activity moments. You can see WSIS changing clothes to school
• Error Screen: added "Load" button on error screen so you can choose another checkpoint.
• Bug Fix: fixed a bug where minutes can be float numbers.
• Pseudo-Bug Fix: NPCs aren't sleeping at night. :v so I made you autosleep instead to avoid instabilities until I fix it.
• Translation: added Spanish translation.

Bonus

Did you like our city? I created an isometric 3D builder to make that for WelCUM To The City, and I'm releasing it to you:

https://kikeluzi.itch.io/isocity

(will leave it in my SFW account, since it's a city builder xD)

Also, I should be updating it very soon because I ended up adding new cool features!

That's it! Hope you enjoy 💛